One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King
by daniel0102
Summary: A single event changes the course of history, as an out of place comment results in bloodshed and a lesson of how life truly works. Now, armed with more than two braincells, Luffy journeys forth, in search of One Piece! [Different!DevilFruit!Luffy, SlightlySmarter!Luffy, Might have pairings]
1. Prologue - Waking Up

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

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Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

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Prologue - Waking Up

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It was a day like any other

The sun shined, the birds sung, and the flowers bloomed, the spring of the Foosha Village making the tulips, roses, and lavender flowers the small town grew rise and decorate the world, waiting for the harvest that would produce valuable perfumes

Monkey D. Luffy was a little boy that lived in the village. The seven years old was, as far as anyone knew, an orphan whose grandfather, the venerable Garp 'the Hero', technically abandoned, letting the child live on an old house he owned, where he was cared by… practically everyone in the little village

He also was a big fan of pirates, seeing them as the freest people in the world, unlike marines, who always had to work and do their duties and had no time for him. Yes, he was bitter that his grandfather would only visit once every blue moon, thanks for asking

The seven years old was, at the moment, whining about the attention he was receiving, in spite of his last antics being made just to receive it. A few weeks before, the friendly 'Red-haired' group of pirates started visiting the village, using it as a base of operations, and the little boy, to convince the crew that he was big and strong enough to go with them, stabbed himself under right under his left eye

Thus, the child found himself under the care of Makino, the kindly green-haired barmaid of the sole establishment of the village, the Partys Bar, and 'Red-haired' Shanks, captain of the pirate crew that carried his epithet, a blood-haired man wearing a straw hat and with three scars over his eye, dressed in a white shirt under a black coat hanging at his shoulders, brown trousers, and simple flip-flop sandals

And to make matters worse, they still didn't accept him into the crew!

"I'm telling you Shanks, I'm big enough and strong! My fists are as powerful as pistols!"

The blood-haired man just snorted on his drink, even as his own crew tried to encourage him into taking the child for at least one journey. Shanks silenced the suggestion by telling them that one of his crewmates would need to give their space for the child, and the men, more in love with adventure than the boy, swiftly abandoned him

"No fair, traitors!"

"Calm down Luffy; hey, Makino! Bring some orange juice here!" - Shanks called the barmaid, swamped with work but still with a genuine smile on her face, soon delivering a mug filled with the liquid: - "Here, have some juice Luffy"

"Thanks" - "Pft, See! What type of 'adult' drinks juice!" - And so laughed Shanks, and pouted Luffy, the boy moving to a chest on the bar and finding a massive fruit inside

Before he could take a bite, the door was slammed open, and entered a massive man

Easily as tall as Shanks, but with tanned skin and dark hair held in a topknot ponytail and a beard, and was dressed in a faded red long coat over a white shirt, black trousers, wooden geta sandals and a golden necklace, a sabre hanging on his left side; behind him, stood many more men, each one wielding sabres, clubs, axes or flintlocks

"We don't want trouble, just some, say, ten barrels of sake" - He spoke with a smile, which turned into a frown upon hearing Makino's answer:

"Sorry, we're all out of sake"

"All out?" - He made an act of looking around at the silent pirates, who watched him with wary gazes, muttering amidst themselves: - "Then what is this that the pirates are drinking? Orange Juice?"

The barmaid just scratched her cheek sheepishly, admitting: - "Well, that _is_ the last of the sake"

"Sorry pal, we got here first" - Chuckled Shanks: - "Here, this bottle is still unopened; no hard feelings, right?" - Continued the blood-haired man

That was the wrong thing to say. Taking the bottle, the man proceeded to smash it on Shanks' head, knocking the pirate from his stool and showering him with glass shards and rice wine

"Do you know who I am? I have a bounty of eight million Berry, _pirate_ , and killed fifty-six people. Do you really think that such a measly amount is enough for me or my man?" - Said Higuma, for that was what said the paper piece he waved, a bounty poster with his face, his name and his bounty on it

"Hey! Apologize to Shanks!" - That, however, was also the wrong thing to do, the number one child fan of the 'Red-haired' pirates witnessing the act, being right beside his idol: - "He's ten times more awesome than you!" - Pointed out Luffy, also pointing at the mountain bandit

That drew snickers from both bandits and pirates, through for different reasons: - "Kid, shut up, unless you want to die" - The bandits, for example, snickered mockingly, shutting up the more amused ones from the pirates

And that was the last wrong thing spoken on the bar, Shanks' hand going towards his sabre: - "Didn't you say you weren't after trouble?" - He spoke, with false cheerfulness, his crew copying his actions, hands hovering over flintlocks, swords, and in Benn Beckman's case, musket

"Oh, the pirates do have some bark in them" - Once again snickered Higuma: - "And what are you gonna do about it? Give us your sake?"

"If I were to cut down the brat for insulting me, what could you do to stop us?"

Shanks answer wasn't to him: - "Sorry about the mess, Makino, we'll clean it up" - And the barmaid, her smile much more frigid and scared, sighed in almost relief, well aware of what was going to happen

Not that Luffy saw it, picked up by the woman and dragged over and behind the bar, taking the chest with the strange fruit with him. Shouts of surprise and pain followed alongside shots and the clash of metal with metal and leather, the pirates moving suddenly and in a deadly fashion; the fight didn't last even thirty seconds, the surviving bandits either knocked down unconscious or running for the mountains

And Higuma? - "Done… Makino, call Wood Slap, he should be able to claim the bounty. Beckman! Help me with the corpse!"

Luffy also didn't saw the corpse, but understood enough when Shanks and Benn carried an object, the red-haired man blocking it from the boy's sight with his body. Feeling much less hungry than before, the child was deposited back on his stool, the now closed chest put in front of him, the barmaid giving him a hug as she joined the pirates in cleaning the establishment of blood and conflict marks

And that was how Luffy learned that being a pirate wasn't all about having fun, nor a marine only about duty. In the world dominated by water, it was a matter of life and death; the mountain bandit poking a monster in human skin and paying the price, and the child learning a very valuable lesson

How will that change the future perhaps? Who knows. But as Shanks felt the wind on his skin as he stood outside the bar, he couldn't help but feel it heralded something

A new era was beginning. And he smiled widely for reasons he couldn't deduce, as he felt that the world was not ready for it

And it was going to be hilarious~

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AN Starts here: So here it is, my first official story... there's nothing really to say, through, so I'll just ask you to rate and review

Peace!


	2. Chapter 1 - The Three Brothers

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

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Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

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Chapter 1 - The Three Brothers

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The time for Shanks and his crew to stay in the peaceful Foosha Village, inevitably, came to a close. The crew of adventurers was led by a captain that travelled to the ends of the world, and while it was all well and nice to pass the time in the East Blue, it was simply too weak for the crew of the red-haired pirate

He seriously wondered what possessed Buggy to stay here. He just… stopped being himself, ever since he ate his Devil Fruit

As the 'Red-haired' pirates started to prepare their ship for their last voyage on the peaceful ocean, a small pitter-patter, not much dissimilar than a mouse's, was heard approaching, making the captain smile: - "Luffy! Came to see us one last time?"

The child had changed ever since he was a few feet from the murder of the mountain bandit by his idol's hand, and surprisingly and fortunately, it was for the better. Luffy finally started agreeing with Shanks that a seven years old simply had no place in a pirate ship, instead challenging the 'old man' into a competition for One Piece, the blood-haired man giving him his straw hat and daring him to give said hat back, since only then the child would be ready to gain the ultimate treasure of the world, according to him

"Yup" - Popping the 'p', the child raised his arms, demanding to be lifted into the redhead's lap, and with a laugh, the man did just that: - "Are you going to see Usopp now?"

"Usopp? Yasopp's son?" - Scratching his small beard, Shanks actually through that wasn't such a bad idea: - "Probably"

"I'd bet he'd be happy if his father visited" - Glibly stated Luffy, making the blood-haired man twitch. Was the boy trying to guilt trip him for not thinking of doing so before?

Not that it mattered, Shanks already deciding that Yasopp would love to see his wife and child again: - "Anyway, can you get of my lap for a moment? I have something to give you"

The decision didn't come lightly, but the man ultimately decided that the child would need all the help he could receive, since he insisted in going as soon as he completed seventeen, much too early in the man's opinion

He was well aware of how hypocritical that made him, having started at roughly fourteen when Gold Roger visited the West Blue, but he wasn't the captain, nor had much responsibility other than keeping the Oro Jackson clean and fighting for the crew when called, either with his sabre or as a powder monkey

"Benn! Luffy's here! Bring the chest!" - Soon his first mate Benn Beckman, a dark-haired man with a black shirt and dark green pants held by a yellow sash, walking with heavy looking dark green boots and the chest under his arm, one chest that had Luffy suspiciously squinting at it

"I've seen that chest before somewhere…"

"Really? Where could you've seen it?" - Asked Shanks, putting Luffy on the ground to pick the chest, opening it to reveal a… fruit

It was, admittedly, a very strange fruit, almost perfectly round with various curly traces on it and coloured pink, with a stem resembling the infinite symbol, not that Luffy recognized it. For him it was just a big and round and _strange_ fruit that he had indeed seen before: - "I remember now! I saw that fruit and chest when you… fought the… mountain bandit… whose name I've kinda forgot now"

Shanks blinked: - "Why would we take the chest to the- you know what, forget it"

"This, Luffy, is a Devil Fruit" - "Devil Fruit?"

"Yes, a special fruit that gives super powers to whoever eat it"

Luffy's eyes sparkled: - "Really?"

"Yeah, I had an old friend who ate one; could divide his body into many parts, which was an absolute horror to fight with a sword, I'll tell you" - At least, until he learned of Haki

"So cool! Wait, shouldn't you eat it? It sounds awesome!"

"That's because whoever eats a Devil Fruit gains a massive weakness: they become cursed by the sea" - And those where the words his old superior used: - "And cannot swim anymore. Not on the sea, not on rivers, even a bathtub would sap your energy"

Luffy's eyes still sparkled, nodding rapidly as he heard his idol's words: - "So if I eat it, I won't be able to swim anymore. Doesn't matter, can't swim anyway"

Shanks snickered, the child's eyes finally diming as the boy glared at the elder for laughing at him: - "Still, you'll need a crewmember with you who knows how to swim, then. My old crew called Buggy, the boy who ate the Devil Fruit, a fool for sacrificing his swimming skills for the powers he gained"

"I suppose that for someone who lives on a boat that'd be incredibly dangerous" - Said Luffy, almost making Shanks laugh again at the matter-of-fact tone that could be misconstrued as sarcasm: - "So, you're just giving it to me?"

"Well, you'll have to give my hat back some day, right? It is your choice if you'll eat the fruit or not; it can sell for one hundred million Berrys"

Luffy's jaw dropped with the sheer amount: - "O-one hundred million? And you're just giving it to me?" - Luffy asked again, this time almost crying: - "You're the best, Shanks"

"Captain, we're almost ready!" - Called Lucky Roo, a fat man with a green shirt with blue stripes, light beige pants, held by a blue-green sash, an equally green and white bandana, red shoes, and a yellow coat over his shoulders

"Very well. Men! Set course to Gecko Island!"

"G-Gecko Island?" - The voice came from the crow nest, muttered and almost unheard, if not for the sudden silence that preceded it, coming from the sniper of the crew, Yasopp, wearing a blue button-up shirt, dark green pants, and blue shoes with buckles, his name easily seen on the blue band on his head

"Yeah, we spent a year here" - Easily ten months more than planned, all thanks to a little child who loved pirates too much for his own good: - "A week or two more won't be missed"

"R-right away captain!" - "Men! To your stations!" - Benn commanded as Yasopp thanked his captain, the man giving the small chest to Luffy, the chest almost as big as the seven-years old's torso, the child silent as he watched Shanks wave goodbye, the captain entering his ship and said ship soon departing

However, Luffy still had his last words to give, the ship approaching the horizon when the boy finally spoke: - "Shanks"

"Yes~!" - Called the pirate back

"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" - And with the chest on one shoulder, the other waving wildly, Luffy laughed, the crew laughed, and even Makino and Woop Slap laughed, Shanks once again feeling the wind of change he felt when he killed the mountain bandit

"I know you will, Luffy, I know you will" - Spoke Shanks, unheard amidst the laugher. And he could hardly wait

* * *

Luffy's meeting with Garp was… troublesome

The child had grown enough to understand that being a marine was busy work, and deadly work, with as much adventure as a pirate's life, if with more rules than one could actually break. But still, one year passed, with a powerful group of pirates inhabiting his grandson's village, and only now, after the group disappears, does the man appear?

It smelled fishy for the child, who now didn't want to be a marine more than ever, if it meant staying in a post in the middle of gods-know-where when his family was under a potential threat

Especially when that threat was one of the cabin boys of Gold Roger himself, all grown-up. Wasn't that a surprise, to learn that the old boss of Shanks was none other than his predecessor? Luffy asked himself why Shanks never told him, but eventually accepted that perhaps was to stop the boy from doing something more stupid than stabbing himself under the eye, if there was such a thing, in hopes of being taken by the pirate

It didn't change the fact that such detail still stopped his grandfather Garp, 'Hero of the Marines', from appearing to visit his grandson; in fact, it left the child more incensed and the marine ranks more undesirable, the boy declaring unafraid that he'd be the pirate king, over the protests of his grandfather

So now, here he was after finally seeing his gramps after more than a year, or rather, exiting the place his grandfather put him after finally seeing Luffy after more than a year. A bandit's hideout

And the man expected Luffy to not be a criminal and join the marines!

The first meeting with Curly Dadan wasn't much to write home about, the woman cowering under Garp's gaze then demanding that Luffy did a set of chores upon the marine's exit, and telling him that either he hunted his own food, or he would only eat rice, but he didn't care much about what the overweight and orange haired woman demanded, instead focusing on the other boy he was steadily attempting to follow, in spite of said boy's first action upon meeting each other being to spit on his face

Portgas D. Ace

The freckled boy couldn't be older than ten, thus the only interesting company that Luffy met since arriving, even if Luffy found him extremely rude. Thus, to the surprise of the bandits watching, Luffy completely ignored them and went after Ace, who, after dropping a massive dead bison on the ground, had sneaked back into the forests surrounding Mount Colubo

Luffy, the curious child with a few lacking brain cells, naturally followed, in spite of knowing nothing about said forest and being, frankly, as weak as a seven-years old should be

He'd still return one week later, after Ace knocked down a bridge he was traversing, getting lost in the jungle, evading wild beasts and having to eat mushrooms and wild berries, and being surprisingly tenderly cared by the bandits, who were almost as motherly as Makino was

The child with the straw hat thanked them, washed himself, ate decently for the first time since he arrived on the hideout, and decided to do the smart thing, rather than attempt to track down Ace without any knowledge of how to do so

He simply sat down, and waited

* * *

Ace for his part felt somewhat satisfied that the brat gave up so easily. Why'd someone follow a person that spat on their face other than for revenge? Mind you, his true target had been Garp's shoes, the only safe part that Ace could aim for without being scolded with a 'Fist of Love', but he hadn't noticed the small child on the way until after he released his shot

Another part of him snarked that it was perfectly acceptable to knock said person from a bridge, when a simple apology would suffice to make the little boy stop following him. Guilt gnawed slowly through his wounded heart, especially as he returned and the nameless child with his big straw hat did not

So seeing the boy a week after he dumped him in the wolf infested cliffs of Midway Forest brought a little of relief to Ace, that he hadn't killed the boy with the straw hat. Still, he departed long before the kid could notice him, going back to the trash mountains of the Grey Terminal, and spending a few more days with Sabo, his brother in all but blood

Then, two days later, as Ace delivered a bear to the bandits, he was ambushed; through perhaps that might be too strong a word, Luffy simply approaching him noisily as the elder of the pair rested atop his prey: - "Hi! I'm Luffy! Let's be friends!"

Ace stared wide eyed at the boy, unable to believe what he heard. He spat on his face! He threw him down a wolf's den! And he wanted to be his friend!?

Ace just ignored the brat, turned his back to him, and jumped into the forest. He could rest atop a tree!

To his surprise, Luffy followed again, in spite of the last time almost having him ending as dinner for wild beasts. Luffy wouldn't lose track of Ace, and would follow him no matter how much the pipe wielder tried to shake his dogged pursuer, the analogy helped by how much the little one reminded Ace of a puppy following its owner as if in search of a treat

"I'm sorry for spiting in your face! Can you just go now!?" - Shouted Ace, atop the tree he was hiding, Luffy clinging to a lower branch and searching for a foothold he could use to keep climbing

"I forgive you! And no, I want to be your friend!" - Answered Luffy, finally finding one, or so he though. Ace cringed at the fall, watching it all from his perch, snickering against his will at the creative curses the small boy aimed at the tree, secretly glad, even to himself, that other than some bruising, that the child was well in spite of the long fall

"You have a long way before being able to follow me, never mind being my friend!" - Declared Ace with a snort, jumping away further into the forest. He was wrong, as Luffy, in spite of being the weakling Ace believed him to be, successfully followed him into the Grey Terminal, dodging wild beasts and nature's traps to now stand in front of him, panting and tired, with his feet bleeding and bare, his sandals not surviving the journey, scratches and bruises covering his small frame

With a look of pity, Ace admitted defeat: - "Okay, you're far closer to being my friend than I believed" - If the kid had the capacity to travel through Midway Forest, he had the capacity to not be a liability, perhaps being a little more than a nuisance: - "But now we'll go right back to Dadan's hideout to take care of those feet"

"Eh? But- we just got here!" - Panted Luffy with a whine

"No excuses; you look ready to fall apart, especially those legs" - The freckled of the pair said in turn, shaking his head and pointing at the direction he memorized since he was tinier than Luffy: - "We'll go right back and take care of you"

Luffy wanted to argue that he was not defenceless, nor a weakling, and that he could be a good friend, but his brain reigned his impulses, the little boy admitting that perhaps having someone look after his wounds would be better than risking an infection or worse

He knew of pirates with one leg, but with none? That was just silly

Somewhere, a gold-haired man sneezed, and the swords serving as his legs fell off, much to his dismay

* * *

"Makino! I'm here!" - The call echoed through the hideout, the bandits blinking in shock, having spent the day tending to Luffy's feet

Approaching the hideout, a kindly looking green-haired woman pushing a wheelbarrow filled with bottles of rum and sake, also carrying a heavy looking backpack, the backpack taken with some difficulties by Luffy, who carried it into the hideout. Makino the barmaid offered the bottles as a peace offering, securing herself a small corner outside, the bandits commemorating their newly gained loot and the ease of it, Makino and Luffy hugging each other, much to Ace's awkwardness, the freckled boy curious about the strange woman that appeared from nowhere

"Makino, this is Port Gas D. Ace" - "Portgas" - "He's a friend I made here"

"Ace, this is Makino" - "Hi Ace!" - "She's the big sis I had when I lived in Foosha"

Plopping himself on Makino's lap, the woman sitting on an empty barrel, Luffy asked: - "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, this, for starters" - She answered by pulling nothing else than his chest from the backpack she brought with her

"My treasure! Thank you, Maki~!"

"Maki? That's new" - Giggled the barmaid

"Your treasure? What's inside?" - Ace recognized that it was Luffy's, and while not seeing him as much as a friend as Luffy saw him, also recognized that it would be wrong to steal from the boy. That didn't stop him from being curious about it

"It's a Devil Fruit" - Luffy, the chest on his lap, opened it, revealing the round and pink fruit in all its devilish glory. Ace's recognition went through a window

Salivating at the prospect of easily a million Berrys or more, his plotting for the fruit was swiftly interrupted by Makino cleaning her throat, the woman staring at him with lidded eyes, as if saying 'don't even think about it'

Ace's greed was also defenestrated, this time out of self-preservation. Who would expect a kindly barmaid to be so scary!

Still, the freckled boy saw the need to ask if Luffy was going to eat it, with the younger truthfully answering he didn't know, considering eating it only in case of an emergency, which Ace found to be surprisingly sensible, coming from the younger boy

The gentle barmaid also brought with her shirts and tops, shorts and pants, sandals and boots, and even a nice little formal blue jacket

Ace also took his chance to update his wardrobe, throwing away his ratty white top for an equally ratty dark red top, if slightly bigger, alongside blue trousers, keeping his own flip-flop sandals

Luffy himself would guard said jacket for special occasions, and would wear it like a cape, just like Shanks used to, until he realized that as he grew older he'd surely outgrow the child jacket. His new common wear would be a new shirt very similar to his old one, light yellow with a blue anchor drawing on the front, with khaki pants and the lightest pair of boots he could find, a brown one, ensuring protection from the thorns of the forest; finishing the ensemble, on Luffy's back, held by a belt, was his Devil Fruit chest, carried like a hefty lunch box

A goodbye kiss on the cheek later, and so ended was Makino's visit, leaving a happy Ace, a warm and fuzzy Luffy, and several inebriated bandits

* * *

Shortly after getting their new clothes, Luffy found himself finally meeting the mysterious Sabo

Sabo, in turn, finally met the mysterious new friend of Ace, who would make the freckled kid be late every once in a while for their plots

Sabo was actually impressed with Luffy, recognizing the smaller boy was at least as strong as the pair when they themselves where younger, which admittedly wasn't much for Sabo, who was of noble birth, but for Ace? He already could hunt the massive bison and tigers and bears of Goa, if with some difficulty, so the short boy was respectable indeed

Dressed in a blue coat with a dark blue undershirt, dark blue shorts and shoes, a dark blue top hat with a white band, and a band-aid on the left cheek, Sabo looked really pompous, Luffy decided

"So you're the Luffy who's been stealing my best friend" - The blond jested, smiling: - "Name's Sabo"

"Hi, I'm Luffy, and I'm sorry for stealing your friend" - The straw hatted boy laughed: - "Let's be friends too!"

Sabo agreed. And while Ace taught Luffy how to hunt, to seek food, and to survive in the wilderness, the blond child taught him how to be a pirate. Petty theft, outright robberies, dinning and dashing; the blond was a menace for the high-class society of Goa, and while Luffy didn't like to attack defenceless people, he soon discovered that there was no one truly innocent in the Grey Terminal or in the kingdom

The friendship developed by the three came swiftly and warmly, Ace and Sabo seeing each other as abandoned children, unloved by the world, with the sole exception of the little boy who doggedly followed them. Luffy was also abandoned, having no one there for him, dragged away from his kind big sister by a well-meaning but ultimately abusive grandfather, but unlike the two he didn't stop greeting the world with a smile, always there to motivate the children into going forward

Especially when he started to catch up. No way in hell were Ace and Sabo be beaten by a seven-years old!

"You know, I want crocodile" - Stated Luffy one day, months of mischief later

"Luffy, a snowball in hell has better chances than you having a crocodile for a pet" - Snarked Sabo, having met Curly Dadan and pitying the lady for dealing with the serious and taciturn Ace and the wild and boisterous Luffy. Luffy answer was an attempt to slap his brother upside the head, but Sabo easily evaded with a laugh

"I mean I want to eat crocodile, Bo" - Corrected Luffy, well aware Sabo knew what he meant and was just joking: - "Besides, we can sell the hides, can't we?"

"Yeah, Goa's seamstresses make purses and clothes out of crocodile leather" - Sabo said, knowing from once having to wear a black crocodile leather jacket for a funeral. The irony that was one of his happiest moments as everyone was too grievous to be an annoyance was not lost to him

Shrugging, Ace decided to agree, not having any preference anyway. The three hunted the beasts of the river, Luffy almost being eaten by one of them, and with the help from a bandit skilled with skinning work, prepared the leather to be sold, the three making a human tower under a coat to hide the fact that the three were the miscreants that plagued Goa, the lazy guards not bothering to check, just doing a cursory glance over the cargo the 'man' carried

The sale of the crocodile skins did give the children quite a lot of money, even if still rather far from buying a boat for any of the two. It helped somewhat that the three would save said money, dinning in a small ramen shop, and dashing to avoid paying it, the trio laughing all the while

They stopped laughing when a voice called for them, or rather, for the blond: - "Sabo! Come back this instant!" - And while they could hear the man, dressed much like Sabo, still talk, they couldn't make details anymore, not stopping and soon escaping from the city

The boys would reunite with their money in the tree fort they built for themselves, a small building hidden amidst the Midway Forest, right between Dadan's Hideout and the Grey Terminal. The little house was a legitimate nest for the three to land after a day of adventure, and where the boys hid their treasure

At the moment, two thirds of the group were staring at the last member, both with heads tilted in curiosity. Who was the weird man that looked like a fat and ugly Sabo? Why had he called him over? And why him, specifically?

Sabo fidgeted, and whistled, and tried to evade the question, but between Ace's glare and Luffy's puppy eyes, he eventually caved in, explaining his origins as the son of a noble, who, unable to deal with the loveless environment and desiring to have some happiness in his life, ran away from home

The man was his father, and he wanted his son back for some reason. Not that the dark-haired boys cared

Sabo was Sabo, the devious, smart brother, and the fact he had some blue blood on his veins didn't change anything about him

* * *

It did change the environment for the trio, however. Outlook the Third, for that was Sabo's father name, wanted his son back, for whatever reason, so he paid the 'Bluejam' Pirates to capture him

Bluejam didn't bother appearing in person, seeing it a waste of time to do so, instead sending Porchemy, a big man with a very fat neck and flat face, silver-blue hair reaching his shoulder blades, ring earrings, a tattoo on his left arm, and dressed in a red ruffled vest, black boots, and black pants held both by a yellow and brown stripped sash and a golden belt

Between the three however, Porchemy and the crew were easy pickings, their target and his fellow children charging constantly, and the pirates, wanting said target alive, forced to evade and run away from him, as anyone who tried to grab him found himself struck by Ace's pipe and Luffy's kicks and punches. Even bullets didn't work, the trio too packed together and risking striking the wrong person, the trio well aware of this and fearlessly aiming for the gunners

The first encounter with the crew resulted in Luffy acquiring a massive scimitar, easily as big as Luffy, which he instantly fell in love with, aware that Shanks had been a swordsman and feeling himself one step closer to his idol. That's without counting the numerous pistols and muskets they also took, many used to booby trap their fort, through Ace insisted in carrying at least two flintlocks with himself. Mostly because it looked badass

The next meeting had the three children finally meet Porchemy, who proved to be much smarter than the rest of the crew. For starters, he realized that wounded and dead where different things, and struck all three at the same time with a single swing of his giant hammer

"Really, you all should be executed for incompetence" - Snarled the giant pirate: - "They're just three kids, they shouldn't be a challenge"

"What does that speak about you then?" - Snarked Ace, firing one of his pistols, the other having clattered away from his grip. The shot grazed Porchemy's arm, and in his surprise he actually dropped his hammer, but soon he snarled again, lifting his weapon with one hand and attempting to pound the freckled boy into the ground, missing the attack as Ace dived for his other weapon

The other flintlock wasn't picked, however, abandoned as Ace instead decided to swing his pipe from his back, striking the back of the knee of Porchemy, who ignored the attack with a grunt, instead attempting to outright squish the freckled boy with a stomp

Down went Porchemy as he raised his leg, both Luffy and Sabo charging with a wordless roar, stabbing Sabo's pipe on the leg planted on the ground, knocking the man off-balance and down. Sitting, the man roared in turn, demanding them stand still as he swung his hammer again, missing all three, having backed away long before he even sat up

"Like a big dumb bison, guys!" - Called Luffy, noticing how similar Porchemy fought like one of their preys: big, slow, and easily flanked

"On it! Hey chum, having some trouble with three kids!?" - Taunted Sabo in turn, having grabbed Ace's second pistol, firing blindly to distract and attract attention. It was not Porchemy's he received, however, the trio having forgotten about the rest of the crew

Sabo ducked hastily, passing under a jumping fellow, then twisted in place to evade another tackle: - "Goddammit! Ace, Luffy, deal with the big guy!" - He said, leading the pirates into a merry chase. Ace and Luffy where on Porchemy in an instant, intent on finishing the fight the fastest they could so they could help their brother

Porchemy tried again to strike with his massive mallet, but as Luffy pointed out, he was too slow to actually strike the swift little boys, who ducked and weaved around him with ease. Before he knew it, repeated strikes at his legs brought him to his knees and in position for a leap from Ace to reach his head, where a pipe blow left him reeling on all four, his nose bleeding and broken, and in the perfect place for Luffy's knee to reach, the attack caving his nose further in

With their target dazed and knocked down, neither delivered the finishing blow, leaving Porchemy just there, angry and confused thanks to the repeated blows to the head. Until Sabo came running that is, pursued by at least five of the original eight pursuers, having lost them amidst the labyrinthine trash hills

Jumping, Sabo stomped on Porchemy's head, slamming him face first into the ground, and bounced, flying high and further away from those after him, many who stopped to tend the fallen pirate, surprised at seeing him defeated. Porchemy would growl and demand them go and catch Sabo, but the blond, alongside his brothers, already skedaddled out of there, laughing and mocking the Bluejam Pirates

* * *

The irony that Porchemy was executed for incompetence after losing to the kids was not lost on Sabo. A lot of things weren't

Like how Ace would always try to stay serious and not get involved with Luffy's antics and Sabo's plots, trying to keep them at arm's length. How Luffy would desperately search for them, never doing anything alone. How Dadan, for all she grumbled and moaned, always tended both his brothers and him, even without the shadow of Garp

So, intent of calming his younger brother and pacifying his twin, Sabo explained his plan to Dadan who, while frowning, nonetheless agreed, giving him the bottle of sake he requested

In one of the many books he read before escaping from his parents, was one of 'commoner' rites and festivities, which fascinated Sabo more than any of the rich and posh parties he was forced to attend. Included was a small ritual, explaining that sharing a drink was said to declare someone a brother

Acquiring sakazuki cups, also from Dadan, he poured the drinks, explaining to Ace and Luffy the purpose of the ritual, to make them as close as brothers one could be without blood ties. Ace's face softened, and Luffy laughed with joy, both agreeing to share the bottle with Sabo

The three lightweights, as expected of small children, would spend the remaining of the day in their tree fort, in a pile of giggles and laugher, waking the next day with massive headaches, and fortunately too distracted by it to realize they slept cuddling like puppies

The newly formed brotherhood experienced a challenge soon after. Bluejam started taking personal interest on the kids, both because there was a price for Sabo's 'rescue', and because the three proved strong enough to defeat one of his strongest, even if he proved to ultimately be a failure not worthy of navigating under Bluejam's flag

He deeply regretted it, realizing that Porchemy was not a weakling and indeed worthy of the position of his strongest; the three kids just so happened to be stronger, easily trumping the pirates sent after them, even evading Bluejam himself in one memorable occasion where the infamous pirate joined the hunt, only to be mocked relentlessly by the three and end buried in a pile of trash

Catch Sabo the crew once did, a lucky ambush as the crew found the three brats too distracted hunting to realize that one of their own disappeared, but Ace and Luffy gave chase, and in a moment straight out of the marine's comics, Luffy bounced off Bluejam's head, Ace slapped Outlook with his iron pipe, and the three departed laughing _again_ , blowing raspberries at the concussed males

Fortunately, the pirate had a source of income guaranteed, the nobles, seeing him doing services for one of them, calling him for a job of their own

Do the job, get rich, and dalliance around with some nobles. What else could he ask for?

Not being betrayed by the nobles, that's what

The dirty work the nobles wanted him to do was spread barrels of gunpowder, oil, and assorted explosives through the Grey Terminal, then light the wick when the time was right to burn it all to the ground

Payment, in theory, was not only considerable amounts of money, but also a position amongst the nobles, something Bluejam desired more than anything in the world; to be born under a lucky star, on a golden crib with a real silver spoon. Instead, he and his crew were locked outside the Great Gates as the world burned around them, the visiting World Noble probably finding it 'remarkable' that pirates and trash were being burn together

But, as the pirates burned alive, Bluejam didn't shout. He didn't cry, nor did he curse the nobles or the heavens, he didn't even try to escape to the forest and the river. He was amidst his treasure, and he was going to die with it, what more a pirate had the right to ask for?

And Ace, Luffy, and Sabo? They watched, from afar, in their little fort, as their playground and hundreds of lives were snuffed by the raging inferno, unaware of the cause but able to deduce, thanks to the massive ship approaching, easily as big as the harbour, followed by displays of fireworks and the many songs echoing through the night

Then Ace and Sabo realized that Luffy wasn't with them, and a burning, horrible smell assaulted their noses, as a red something covered the flames and snuffed the fires

* * *

Time passed

The mystery of horrible stench sent the elder pair laughing themselves sick, 'till they discovered it also made Luffy immune to most of their attacks. Goa also recovered, the Grey Terminal soon growing again, the nobles soon returning to their habits of throwing trash over the walls, even after the kingdom was declared the 'Jewel of the East Blue'

And the children weren't children anymore

Luffy watched the coast, remembering the boat carrying Ace and Sabo traveling in the distance. The pair couldn't accept not being the captain, so they would separate later in their travel and have their own journeys

And little Luffy? He could only wait now, three years alone until he was ready for his own journey, learning to read more than the necessary just so he could follow his brother's adventures on the newspapers, studying them as his opponents and admiring them as his elder brothers

Sometimes Makino would stop to visit, sometimes Dadan would invite him for a heist, sometimes Garp would come for another hellish training season. But he couldn't help but feel lonely, his brother's achievements reminding him they weren't with him anymore

Still, at least he knew they were alright, as the date of his own journey approached, the news reaching him and Makino

Ace became known as 'Fire Fist' Ace, apparently owed to a Devil Fruit he ate, the Flame Flame Fruit, with a massive bounty of five hundred million Berrys, having reached the mark of one hundred million before his first year of piracy ended; his bounty poster had him holding a hand on fire, pointed at the camera, with a conical straw hat, a smirk, and the collar of a gold coloured jacket

Sabo himself was called the 'Gentleman', and had the admittedly small bounty, in comparison, of one hundred and forty-eight million Berrys, but had the fame of being a real hero, hunting down evildoers and corrupt marines; his bounty poster had his unblemished face almost obscured by his blue and black top hat, having exchange his pipe for an actual wooden staff, hanging from his shoulders

And soon it was going to be Luffy's turn. He was still rather short, still looking like a boy rather than a young man, his straw hat still a little too big for his head, even his clothes still similar to that of his childhood, a white short sleeved shirt with a red anchor over his chest and blue pants with simple brown shoes at his feet

But he was old now, almost seventeen, and it was soon time for him to start his own journey

Now, if time passed, just a little faster!

* * *

AN: Gah! This has to be the third time I'm writting this AN, because of my bloody stupid internet

Anyway, first, thank you all, for the follows and favourites. They've made my days

Second, I've found something to post on ANs! Simply, the differences between canon and this fanfiction

The first, and most obvious, as it is on the summary, is the different Devil Fruit that Luffy has, and that he ends eating to try and save as many lives as possible during the fire, smothering it with his new powers. What they are? You'll see next chapter~

Number two, the lesson that Luffy learned when Sabo 'died', that people do die. He learned it earlier, when Shanks killed Higuma, while also learning that he could kill, even without meaning. If he were to keep his mouth shut, the story would have followed as canon

Third, Sabo 'surviving' his childhood; Luffy being more competent, meant that the trio of brothers could deal with Bluejam and his pirates. In a way, locking Bluejam to die in the fire was the biggest and most literal 'You're fired' in the world

Lastly, Luffy's patience; he does seen like the idiot who would have tried to track Ace, in spite of not knowing anything about tracking or about Mount Colubo and Midway Forest, but in here he is more willing to wait for Ace to return, and thus able to establish a dialogue. It results in their brotherhood blooming faster and much earlier

... And that's it. Thank you again for all the attention, and until the next update, which will probably be next Sunday

Peace!


	3. Chapter 2 - Papers, Please

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 2 - Papers, Please

* * *

It was finally over! The wait was over! If he was any less dignified, he'd be bouncing like a rubber ball!

As it was, everyone who saw Luffy could tell he was excited at finally departing, the boy literally trembling in place, his boat and supplies already waiting for him, the boat bought from a neighbouring village, the supplies a gift from Makino, containing lots of dried meat to last long through the journey

With a laugh, he waved goodbye to Makino, Woop Slap, the watching villages, even the visiting Dadan and her bandits. They waved in turn, celebrating the birth of another great pirate from little Foosha Village, through the celebration was silenced when the lord of the coast surged forth

A brownish-grey coloured ell-shaped beast with blue fins and bloodshot eyes, the sea king was a being that plagued the little Foosha Village, ever since the days of Shanks. The people believed it was actually a descendant of the original that 'Red-Haired' probably killed by accidently ramming it with his ship, but the myth stayed, of a legendary, undying beast that only the strongest could defeat

Ace and Sabo struck it down with a single blow, each, and so did Luffy, matching his brothers, jumping from his boat into the beast's head, spinning in the air to dodge a hasty bite, latching on the beast's fin, and delivering a single devastating punch, as strong as a direct cannonball impact, sinking the beast and almost taking its defeater with him, if not for another hasty jump

The celebrations started again

Luffy himself didn't join them, worried as he was with the map he had, trying to trace his route. All he knew was that his final destination before the Grand Line was Loguetown, 'The City of the Beginning and the End', but had no idea of where exactly to go, and only basic knowledge of navigation

Then the worries escaped him, as his hand met his face. Wasn't the mystery and unknown part of the reason he departed in the first place? The adventure was as big as the freedom that came with being a pirate

So, trusting the wind to guide him and the sea to not deviate him too much off course, Luffy guided his little dingy in the direction of the closest island, and took a nap

He'd wake up almost being swallowed by a whirlpool, hastily paddling his boat away from it and not being killed by sheer dumb luck as to have woken up a few seconds before it was too late

Close by was a massive cruiser ship, he noticed, and deciding there was nothing better to do, he approached it, signalling the crew, who agreed on securing his dingy alongside the emergency boats

Then cannon fire rained on them

* * *

Luffy watched the sailors aboard the ship panic, undoubtedly making the passengers panic too, in spite of the captain's attempts to reassure them, as the pirate flag hoisted by the pink and very girly ship approached

Frowning, for he disliked pirates who took things the easy way instead of the challenging way, he decided to deal with them. Who knows, perhaps the crew of the cruiser would reward him with meat

"Yosh" - With that, as the first pirate jumped over the railing of his ship into his target, he could only shout in surprise as the rope he was swinging from suddenly snapped: - "This shouldn't be too challenging"

"I mean, I've been doing more challenging jumps before Ace and Sabo departed" - Talking with himself to distract himself, the next two who reached the cruiser drew their swords, and practically kissed each other, Luffy slamming their heads together without missing a beat

As the corsairs noted their opposition, a young girl screamed in horror, making Luffy look around: - "Eh? What would a passenger be doing up here?" - He didn't saw her, but found a pink haired little boy rubbing his head after planting his face on a wall. The wall was promptly demolished by another corsair that followed, the kid scrambling to not be crushed by the person

Ducking suddenly, Luffy glared at the pirate who just swung his sword, and pointed out: - "That's not very nice"

Then he punched the man in the face. Hearing a roar of 'die' behind him, Luffy jumped forward and overboard, evading the flintlock shots, in a collision course with a tardy pirate, which he used as a stepping stone to jump even higher, reaching the mast of the ship, much to the surprise of the pirates, unaware someone could jump so high

"Come down here and face us like a man, brat!" - Jeered one of the pirates, and Luffy answered with a muttered 'ok', pounding him through the floor and into what appeared to be a fancy bedroom. Jumping up, through the hole he made, Luffy yawned as he faced the pirates, provoking them further into a frenzy

"You're not much of a challenge, did ya know that?" - He asked, rudely scratching his nose, and meeting the resulting charge head first, basically punting the pirates overboard, a single blow that sent them flying into the waters below

"Well, that was easy" - And as soon as he finished speaking, the captain of the pirate ship crushed him flat with a massive iron club. She was fat, _very_ fat, with a white cowboy hat, a stretched pink plaid shirt under a blue coat, white pants held by a purple bejewelled sash, and brown shoes with buckles; she also carried a massive iron knobbed club, a frightening weapon that she wielded as if it weighed nothing at all

"Say that dealing with my crew was easy again, brat" - Challenged the woman, known around the East Blue as Alvida 'of the Iron Mace', in spite of wielding a club. Said club trembled after she finished speaking, and she grunted in shock and horror as she heard a mutter: - "What, it was!"

Lifting her weapon, she found it glued to the floor by a sticky red substance, and no matter how much she tried, she simply couldn't release her club from it; in fact, stepping on it just ensured her foot also glued on the thing, and while raising her club resulted in the substance slipping, it simply stopped being stuck to her weapon and instead got stuck on her hands

Then, to her horror, the red thing started taking the shape of a human being, his hands gripping hers, his legs a singular block of the thing that now trapped her right leg, and a frown barely discernible on his features, as he shouted the name of an attack: - " _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!"

Separating one of his hands from hers, Luffy pulled it back and made a fist, launching it forward at the jaw of Alvida, then traveling past it, forcing the woman to spin her entire bulk or have her neck give in; then, to her confusion, she spun back, at the same time a backhand from the stretched hand finally released her from the thing's grasp, sending her flying and on the ground, where she lifted herself tiredly with the help of her weapon

"W-what are you!?" - She demanded fearfully. Luffy, now having recovered fully his form and colour, answered solely with a glare, an eyebrow raised in confusion: - "How the hell did you snuck on me?"

"W-what!?" - "I mean, you're fat, _really_ fat, so one'd expect you to be noisy as hell, since the wood would creak, and-" - Luffy's continued insult, which he was doing solely to piss her off, were interrupted by a demented roar, his still unknown to him opponent outright flinging her massive club at him

The club proceeded to stick to Luffy, who didn't even move from his position. Weaponless, the woman still charged at Luffy recklessly and causing the boy to frown, allowing her to grab her weapon, then pivoting in place to deliver a devastating heel kick to the side of her head as she got herself stuck to her weapon

Alvida didn't stood up again, defeated by the second blow, wondering just what the hell she fought. Luffy himself would proceed to glare at the corsairs still on the cruiser, who didn't hesitate to obey the unspoken command to get out of there, picking Alvida along the way and departing as fast as they could

Sighing and patting his belly, Luffy turned to one of the shocked member of the cruiser's crew, and asked: - "Hey, do ya have any food? I get hungry after a fight"

* * *

The impromptu party in, quote, 'the honour of our saviour', unquote, was a rather subdued affair, those willing to meet their unexpected hero a small number when compared to those who, after the adrenalin crash, just wanted to tuck in and sleep. So Luffy stood there, a smile on his face, greeting those willing to face him

Amongst his supplies was a set of formal clothing, basically a red fancy coat with golden borders and trimmings, actually making him look like a captain, if an extremely young one, thus allowing him to mingle alongside the posh folk, who were as fascinated with him as he was of them. They were so different from the people of Goa!

Luffy only realized they were rich merchants rather than actual nobles later

Soon, however, the party ended, Luffy alone with the snack table, the others going to join their fellow passengers in sleep's embrace, when the crew of the ship joined him for a somewhat serious talk, carrying no one other than the pink haired boy he believed had a very girly scream

The kid, who couldn't be older than fifteen, had a white shirt with blue details that resembled Luffy of the Marine's uniform, blue pants, and brown shoes, with glasses resting on his weeping, chubby face

"Sir Luffy" - Said the captain of the ship, making Luffy twitch at the honorific: - "This boy was with the pirates who attacked us. Could you take him with you when you depart?"

"Eh? Sure. Through, to where?"

One of the sailors approached with a sheet of parchment in hands, unfurling it to reveal a much more detailed map than his own: - "The closest city with a Marine base is here, in Shells Town at Yotsuba Island"

"I heard that Captain Morgan is quite severe, so the little pirate will surely be punished" - He declared with a mocking laugh, making the boy cry further, which made Luffy's eyebrows twitch in annoyance

"Okay. Can I keep the map? I only know the basics of navigation" - The sailor agreed, giving him the parchment later that night in a scroll case, much to Luffy's confusion, which lasted until the man showed how to open it

Shortly after, Luffy threw the boy, named Coby, from his shoulders, and watched whoever was on his boat squeal as the screaming boy fell right in front of her

"O-oh, sorry! Oh, sorry, I didn't knew this was your boat!"

"Yeah, yeah, wait, why are you on my boat in the first place?" - Luffy asked, realizing that a passenger, at least a normal one, wouldn't be sneaking away in the middle of the night: - "Are you a thief?"

Young lass revealing herself with a shout; she had orange hair under a blue bandana that reached her shoulders, a blue shirt with short sleeves, black pants, and blue shoes with small heels. Luffy had to admit she was kinda cute, but he preferred to focus on the fact she was on his boat

"No! I mean, not a _normal_ thief, I only steal from pirates!" - She was sweating lightly, undoubtedly nervous about dealing with him. An awkward silence ensued, as Nami slapped her hands over her mouth before she blurted anything else, and Luffy wondered if he should reveal that, while heroic, he _was_ a pirate

"Right, let us start from the beginning" - Declared Luffy, when the silence started to become unbearable, smiling his big smile and deciding that better to reveal his status now, when there was little risk of something horrible happened: - "I'm Luffy, I like meat and pirates, and want to become Pirate King; who are you?"

"I-I'm Nami, I like money and… wait, you're a pirate!?" - The ginger started, then it registered what he said, asking noisily his status, Coby raising his head from his position with a look of confusion

"Shishishi, yeah, sorry for deceiving everyone, but _no one asked_ " - Deadpanned Luffy after laughing at her reaction: - "I'm in for the adventure mostly. And what about you? Why is a thief sneaking away from a cruiser ship filled with treasure?" - He asked, somewhat more serious, the question of why she chose his boat unneeded

"I only steal from dirty pirates" - Snarled Nami, glaring at him, the unspoken 'like you' still heard: - "I planned to steal the Alvida Pirates if they were to attack this ship, since it would pass on their territory, but _someone_ defeated them so fast I couldn't even get on their ship!"

Laughing, Luffy weakly apologized, making the ginger turn away her cute nose with a frown, clearly not believing him. Not actually answering her question, though, Luffy asked again: - "That still doesn't explain why you're sneaking away. I'd expect someone in a cruiser to at least enjoy it"

Was it a trick of the low light, or was Nami… blushing? - "I… might not be an actual passenger-"

Luffy's laugher interrupted any further explanation

* * *

In the end, Nami actually agreed to sail away with him, with the condition that their partnership would last until they acquired their objective, and the reason of their destination: a map to the Grand Line

At least, they both expected the Marine base to have one leading towards the real entrance to the Grand Line. Stupid he might admit to be, even he knew of the Calm Belt and that it was a nest of sea kings

And Coby? Well, his backstory was both tragic and an hilarious example of bad luck, as the boy, just wanting to go fish, accidently got into the supply boat of Alvida, and was forced to be her cabin boy for two years; especially ironic and sad, when one considered his dream was to be a Marine

As Nami tried to comfort the weeping boy, Luffy wrote a letter to his grandfather, which would hopefully ensure Coby had a chance to be trained by one of the best Marine in the world, in Luffy's sincere opinion. And hopefully having someone to train would distract Garp enough for Luffy to evade capture. Not that Luffy expected to meet Garp before the Grand Line, but better safe than sorry

The man, wearing his bulldog hood, sneezed, feeling his cute grandson thinking about him. Perhaps he'd find some time for a visit?

Feeling a shiver going down his spine, and feeling like he somehow dodged falling in the ocean, Luffy felt himself being poked in the cheek, and turned to face Nami somewhat close

"So, what are you?" - She spoke, pulling back before her position could be misinterpreted: - "I remember quite distinctly you being crushed by Alvida's mace, yet you just… reformed after transforming into something red"

Wondering when she could have seen it, he remembered that Nami planned to sneak into Alvida's ship, and was probably just waiting for the pirates to exit the decks to do so, so she was probably close by to the fight. Shrugging, he answered: - "Devil Fruit"

Nami's eyebrow twitched, unsatisfied with the answer: - "And~?"

"I ate the Candy Candy Fruit in my childhood, so when I felt I was about to be crushed, I turned into candy" - Not that it mattered much. Luffy was strong, so even if he hadn't, he would still be alright, the club having more chances of breaking than his bones; the transformation had been mostly instinctual, used as he was to evade and ensnare wild beasts during his childhood after eating it

Didn't stop his brothers from calling him their 'sweetheart', even as their inability to truly defeat him outside of outlasting him showed itself

"So Devil Fruits are real?" - Coby asked, speaking for the first time since he stopped explaining his story: - "But turning into candy… isn't that a little lame?"

"It is, until you remember that as long as I know you're going to attack me, I can just turn into candy and ignore it" - Explained Luffy, the pink haired boy humming in understanding. Even if the ability itself was indeed lame, its uses necessarily weren't

Nami raised an eyebrow, mouthing to herself 'candy' in a clearly questioning form, before shrugging her shoulders, deciding to not think about it and evade the headache of wondering how _that_ worked: - "Good enough for me"

"It should be well~ past midnight now, so, who gets first watch?"

* * *

Shells Town was more accurately a city. It was massive, completely covering Yotsuba Island, with exception of a small area around the tall and imposing Marine base, the biggest building in sights

Speaking of Marines: - "Excuse me, how many on the boat?" - Asked one of them, holding a clipboard and accompanied by two more armed men

"There are… two… of us?" - Answered Luffy, looking around and realizing that indeed, only he and Coby were on the boat. Where did Nami go?

"Motive of visit?" - Asked again the Marine with the clipboard, looking distinctly bored out of his mind

"I'm in search of the best map possible" - Luffy answered again, this time fixing his gaze on Coby, who gulped, but nodded to no one in particular and said: - "A-and I want to be a-a Marine"

"Hm, Marine recruitment is done at the base itself. Shouldn't be hard to miss" - The Marine pointed to said base as he spoke. Indeed, it was practically a straight line: - "And about your boat, it is eight thousand Berrys for anchoring in the harbour"

Both Coby and Luffy eyebrows rose in surprise at the tax. Not wanting trouble yet, Luffy took his hat off, pulled out a small sack, and starting counting, lifting Coby's eyebrows further

It was actually sleight of hand, the sack hidden inside his own head, then forced out when he removed his hat, covered in a syrup made specifically to stick the sack and the straw hat. How said syrup got stuck between only the sack and the straw hat was blamed on Devil Fruit absurdity, as was most of Luffy's abilities

"Seven twenty-five, seven fifty, eight thousand Berrys" - Most of his money, but he still had enough to scrap by. Not that it mattered; he'd probably need to ransack the base to actually find the map to the Grand Line, unless Nami finds it first, as there was no way they'd give it away to a complete stranger: - "Here"

"Thank you, have a nice stay" - Picking the great quantity of notes and coins proved to be a little difficult without literal sticky fingers, but the Marine succeeded, throwing it into a massive sack nearby, Luffy and Coby going on their way

The trio, for Nami, her hair wet, and dressed in a white shirt with blue horizontal stripes, a tan skirt, and sandals, soon joined them, stopped into the closest eatery available, a rather busy place that was noisy enough that it wouldn't be quite so easy to overhear them. Luffy started, looking at Nami: - "So, had the time search the base?"

"We barely entered the town Luffy, give it some time and I'll have the map tonight through"

Nodding, and taking a bite of his meat slab, Luffy turned to Coby: - "And you, ready to join the Marines?"

"Yes, I-I a-actually feel ready" - He declared silently

Looking for a topic of conversation, Coby continued: - "D-did, you know, t-the captain of this base captured the infamous Roronoa Zoro for-"

The name was heard through the bustle and bumble of the crowd, and everyone flinched, looking at the trio as if they had horns and a forked tongue

"O-oh, okay… that was strange" - Muttered Nami, making Luffy shrug

"He must be really scary. Say, who's the captain of this base again?"

"O-oh? C-captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan, why-"

The name was heard through the bustle and bumble of the crowd, again, and again everyone flinched

"This city is weird~" - Muttered Luffy

"B-b-but, I-I can u-under-stand the r-reaction to Zoro's n-n-name, b-but the c-captain?" - Coby focused on the more important facts: - "I-I d-don't like t-this"

Nami spoke nothing, already aware that the captain was corrupt, but not expecting such an extreme reaction. Humming thoughtfully, Luffy stood up, leaving the remnants of his little money pouch on the table, and spoke: - "Okay; Coby, you stay here and wait for a moment. Nami, you're with me; we have a map to collect"

The ginger snorted, but with a sarcastic 'aye, captain' that left Luffy giggling slightly, also stood up, following the boy with the straw hat. A few minutes later, they reached the Marine base, and were surprised by a little girl being thrown over the wall, the child in a turquoise and purple hooded dress crying out with the fall, definitively breaking something

Seeing Nami moving to tend the girl, Luffy jumped, and was able to spy four men: two Marines in uniform, a blond with the most ridiculous haircut imaginable, and a demon in human form. Luffy had a suspicious that the demon with green hair and bandana, white shirt, black pants held by a green haramaki, and black boots, was no one other than Zoro himself, the bounty hunter that had everyone flinching, and that was apparently tied up to the cross for three weeks, and would be until a month was up, with no food or water

Looking at what appeared to be stomped-on rice balls, on the ground and in front of the bounty hunter, Luffy decided perhaps he wasn't so bad, if a little girl was willing to break into a Marine base for him

Nami called for him, but Luffy ignored her, jumping into the grounds, approaching the pirate hunter after he was alone. The man, glaring at nothing in particular, soon started to glare at him, an eyebrow raised in silent question

The pair stared at each other, neither willing to give in and ask what the other was doing first. That didn't stop Luffy from talking about something else, the boy with the straw hat smiling: - "You're pretty strong, ya know? I doubt I'd survive a single day without food" - A little white lie. Glutton he might be, but he did survive such periods when he got lost trying to follow Ace or thanks to Garp's training

Zoro conceded defeat with a snort, feeling that the boy in front of him was ultimately friendly and finding their little dispute of wills meaningless, considering he was tied up and defenceless: - "So? What do you want, brat?"

"I want you to join my crew" - Zoro blinked at the blunt answer, then again at its content

Nami, having climbed the wall to observe, almost fell, gritting her teeth: - "It's almost like he doesn't have any self-preservation instinct" - She muttered, wondering when it became a good idea to invite a pirate hunter to be a pirate

Zoro's train of thoughts were roughly the same: - "You do know I'm a pirate hunter, right?"

"You are a bounty hunter, and it just so happens that most bounties are of pirates" - Luffy was, indeed, completely unconcerned: - "Besides, you're already seen as a criminal; why not just be one?"

"I don't care about how I'm seen; I have a dream, and I won't stop until I either fulfil it or die trying"

The declaration actually silenced Luffy, having heard similar declarations from himself enough to recognize them: - "Really, what it is?"

Zoro, however, wasn't feeling cooperative: - "Not yours"

"Come on~" - "Nope"

"Please~" - "Don't want to"

"Now you're just being childish" - "Don't care"

"Oh, for the love of Oda just stop you two!" - While mildly amused, Nami had more important things to do, like take care of the little girl and search for her map. The shout, however, just made Luffy laugh

"Oh, fine Nami!" - Luffy answered the tangerine-haired girl, but not before turning to the green-haired man: - "You know, that just makes me more curious, right?"

Zoro had the gall to laugh, in spite of his position: - "You just will have to find out, then, eh?"

"Shishishi, true enough, true enough"

"Wait, wait, before you go, can you pick that up for me?"

Luffy looked at the rice ball that Zoro pointed at with his eyes: - "You now, that's more a dirt ball than anything else now, right?"

"Don't matter. Gimme it!" - And Luffy did, patting the pile of rice in hopes of removing a little of the dirt and giving it for Zoro to eat

"Okay… and, Zoro?" - Chewing, the named man turned to face Luffy, who was already running and jumping over the wall, standing atop it: - "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Zoro almost choked. Gulping down the remnants of the rice balls, Zoro attempted to glare at the boy with the straw hat, but he had already departed; grungily, the green-haired man nodded to himself, understanding it for what it was

Recognition, for they had similar dreams, approval, and a challenge to fulfil it or indeed, die trying

"You know, I just realized I didn't ask his name…" - Muttering to himself, he soon went to sleep. Tied up, there was nothing else to do, really

* * *

"So Zoro is one of the good guys?" - Nami asked, searching for confirmation, getting a nod from the little girl, named Rika, who smiled in spite of her arm being in a cast; the little girl had fallen on her shoulder, and broke the bone, her mother calling for the doctor who ensured everything was in place, before departing

After that, little Rika finally introduced herself and her mother, Ririka, the girl thanking Luffy for offering the meal to Zoro, who, they discovered, wasn't such a bad guy

Morgan, on the other hand…

He ruled the city like his own personal kingdom, and his son walked around like he was god's gift to mankind, including letting a wild and very likely rabid 'pet' wolf wreak havoc through the city, almost eating Rika if not killed by a precise blow from Zoro, the man, according to the little girl, simply punting a stool with enough strength to snap the wolf in half

Coby was devastated, that his dream of catching bad guys might never come true, since he refused to serve under a corrupt officer. Luffy consoled him with his letter, explaining that the 'Monkey D.' name an influence with the Marines, and that, if needed, Coby should send the letter to Garp

The two remaining members of the trio could only gape, as they made the connection between Monkey D. Luffy, dreamer and pirate, with Monkey D. Garp, hero of the Marines

Interrupting the staring, was no one other than Helmeppo, son of Morgan. Almost breaking the door with a kick, the laughing boy demanded to be served for free, threatening to call his father about any possible 'mistreatment'.

Then he opened his mouth again: - "And while we're at it, what about Zoro? Do you believe that he's been almost four weeks without food and water? Ha! As if I'd let him go! Everyone is invited for his execution in three days! Anyone who doesn't appear will join him!" - And he laughed and laughed

Then he stopped, and looked around, and saw a young tangerine-haired lass comforting an almost crying child while glaring at him, a pink haired boy standing up to hold back another boy, and he second boy's arm transforming into a red… something: - " _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!"

Said red something proceeded to extend and punch Helmeppo's face, sending him tumbling until he struck the wall, leaving everyone on the building gaping. Whether it was that someone dared punch the son of captain Morgan or _how_ he was punched, no one could truly decide

"Y-you p-punched me! Y-you struck me! Not even dad struck me before!" - Panicked the brat, attempting to scramble backwards through the wall: - "Y-yo-you'll pay for this! My daddy will learn about this!"

"Your daddy!? Call him! I'll kick his ass too!" - Luffy didn't care, in fact wanting the fight. Tended and half-dragged by his Marine bodyguards, Helmeppo kept cursing, promising Luffy would pay, which was all ignored by the boy with the straw hat

Luffy turned to face Nami, and declared: - "Well, at least Zoro will join me now"

The comment made the ginger blink at the apparent non-sequitur: - "What?"

"I'm going to rescue Zoro. He doesn't deserve to die like a dog" - Explained further Luffy, putting his hands on her shoulders: - "You'll use the distraction I'll make to try and steal the map, okay?"

"E-eh!? Right" - "Good"

"And Nami, sorry, but welcome to the crew, shishishishi" - And before the lass could deny the request, Luffy already skipped away, taking the time to use Helmeppo as a stepping stone, and running towards the Marine base, the young man snorting in amusement at finding the stairs Rika used to climb the wall still present

* * *

"Oh, hey. What the hell?"

"The brat is not going to keep his promise"

Zoro stared at the panting boy, Luffy swiftly recovering from his race: - "Explain"

"He was just back there, on the same bar, gloating about having you executed in three days"

In spite of being tied up, and practically starving for more than half a month, his growl still sent an animalistic shiver down Luffy's spine, the teen smiling in excitement as he sat in front of the bounty hunter: - "So, seeing that I'll break you out, and you'll probably be seen as a criminal anyway, what about joining my crew now?"

Zoro snorted: - "Smart little asshole, aren't you?"

"Fine, I'll join your crew" - Luffy whooped, and even Zoro cracked a smirk: - "But remember, I have a dream"

"And you'll finally tell me?"

"I aim to be the greatest swordsman in the world" - Told Zoro with a nod: - "And if you in anyway get in my way, I won't hesitate to gut you like a fish"

This time, the shiver was one of admittedly, fear, for Zoro was _scary as hell_. Nevertheless, the smile on Luffy's face didn't diminish a bit, the boy in fact laughing: - "Well, nothing less than the best for the crew of the Pirate King, right?"

Luffy concentrated. He always had a hard time making this, since it just didn't felt right, his hand turning into syrup and hardening. It resulted in his hand, but made of rock solid candy

"Again, what the hell" - "Shishishi, I ate a Devil Fruit, Zoro; I ate the Candy Candy Fruit, so I can turn into candy" - And with his new hand, Luffy moved behind Zoro, aimed, and stabbed with his hardened limb

"Ouch!" - Right into Zoro's spine, too weak to wound the man but strong enough to annoy, and coincidently going through the centre of the cross holding him in place, the entire structure falling apart and releasing him: - "Thanks, I think"

"No problem! Now-"

"I'm going to recover my swords"

"Now we are going to cause a distraction while the last member of our crew steals the map" - Corrected Luffy: - "That such distraction is recovering your swords, well, what a coincidence!"

Zoro's answering laugher had a very obvious mocking tone to it

"So, jump up" - The laugher stopped, as Zoro noticed Luffy jumping towards the wall, gluing himself to it: - "I'll carry you to the top, and from there we'll destroy everything in our path"

"… Why? Wouldn't be better to start from the ground?" - And Zoro didn't exactly trusted Luffy enough to carry him all the way

"Because it is at the top that there is any movement" - Pointed out the boy with the straw hat, also pointing out at what appeared to be a massive statue at the top of the marine fortress

* * *

"Did I tell you-" - " _Yes_ , at least three times"

"W-what the hell!?"

Luffy climbed the side of the fort, by making his feet into sticky gum. Zoro, clearly disturbed, was lodged halfway through his captain. The two finally arrived to the top of the building, where a stone statue of a tall man with a metal jaw and an axe in place of the right hand was being lifted, much to the surprise of the marines rising said statue

"Can you release me now?" - "Sure"

"Who the hell are you!?" - Exclaimed a man much like the statue, tall, with the metal jaw and the axe for hand, which both invaders quickly deduced was no one other than 'Axe-Hand' Morgan. Behind him, was his son, his face a bruise, who quickly pointed at Luffy: - "Dad! That's the bastard who hit me! Kill him daddy, kill him!"

"I bet the bastard has my swords" - Muttered Zoro, making Luffy nod: - "As a trophy, right. Go get them, I'll cause the distraction"

Luffy proceeded to jump at the ropes being used to lift the statue, snapping some and making others slip from the grasp of the marines, the entire structure falling and breaking upon hitting the edge of the fort

"… Welp, that's a distraction" - And in the chaos of the monument falling apart, no one noticed Zoro shutting up Helmeppo and dragging him away

The boy with the straw hat felt a gust of wind striking him, as he twisted aside from his landing zone, evading a crushing blow from Morgan, the man roaring in rage and foaming at the mouth. Still spinning, Luffy lashed out with his foot, catching a protrusion at his elbow that easily gave way to his kick, the man flinching back but not backing out

With a roar and a curse, Morgan kept on the offensive, uncaring of his apparent wound, lashing out with wide blows of his axe. Unfortunately, the heavy weapon was simply too slow to actually hit his agile opponent, who danced around the blows, until he was right at the edge of the building

The Marine captain watched baffled, as the next blow was evaded by jumping off the building, the bafflement mixing with horror and confusion as the arms of his target grew and latched on the captain himself

Luffy then declared: - " _ **Candy Candy Cannonball**_!" - And launched himself forward, running over Morgan with his strike, the man sent flying through the debris of the statue that hadn't fallen off the building, and almost falling from the fort himself. As the boy with the straw hat landed back on the building, the remaining Marines started organizing themselves, the men aiming their muskets and rifles at Luffy

"Fire! Kill him!" - Bellowed Morgan, and the Marines did just that, firing their weapons; they proceeded to watch with horror as they did nothing on Luffy, the boy turning into a red blob and absorbing the bullets, before turning back into a human with a massive grin on his face

"Nope, weapons don't work on me~" - Boasted Luffy, stretching his arm and hardening solely the fist at the tip: - " _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!"

Launching his attack forward, it went through Morgan's axe, hastily raised in his defence, breaking it and punching Morgan in his iron jaw, breaking it too. He'd be sent flying towards the ground, if not for a swift transition between solid candy and gluey one, Luffy holding the man and stopping him from flying away

"Now that's dealt with… eh, I wonder if Nami and Zoro already found their things…" - Luffy admitted he didn't thought it enough, and had no idea of what to do next. So, turning his back to the gaping Marines, he just walked away, in search of his friends

He still snickered as he heard one of the Marines ask what just happened

* * *

Luffy did found his friends. Zoro had a total of three katana on his hips, at his right side, one with a white sheath and hilt, and the other with black sheaths and nondescript hilts. Nami had a frown on her face, and a fistful of paper tightly grasped

"Didn't find the map?"

"Found… something else" - Nami showed the paper, which as he read, he realized was a taunting letter

Someone got the map first

"Buggy 'the Clown', eh?" - Noticed Zoro the name at the bottom of the paper: - "So we'll have to track him for the map?"

"Yeah; any idea where he is?" - Asked Luffy, turning towards the ginger, who forlornly shrugged her shoulders

"None whatsoever"

Humming to himself, Luffy put a hand on her shoulder, making the lass blink her brown eyes: - "Don't worry, we'll find him and then we can go our own ways"

Still blinking, Nami smiled softly, asking: - "What about I now being part of the crew, back at Rika's place?"

"You're a friend Nami; while I'd like having you as my navigator, I recognize that you have your own life" - Laughed Luffy: - "You're my friend Nami, and I'd never force you to do something you don't want"

Blinking again, the orange-haired lass smirked, and raised a hand: - "Thank you, partner. Until we find the map?"

"Sure, 'till we find the map" - A high-five later, and the two smirked together, feeling the bond between growing further

The moment was interrupted by a growl. Zoro scratched his head: - "Hate to interrupt, but I have been starving for three weeks now"

"Shishishishi, yeah, we should find something for you to eat; let's go to Rika's place and talk to-" - "Luffy!"

Well, just who he was going to look for: - "Coby! Just kicked Morgan's ass. Are you going to stay or what?"

"I'll probably stay" - Remarked the pink-haired boy, with no stutter, much to Luffy's approval: - "And you, found what you wanted?"

"Nah, somebody stole it first. Say, any clue where Buggy 'the Clown' might be?'

"W-well…" - And there goes Luffy's approval: - "B-Buggy? B-be careful Luffy, h-he's said-" - "To have a Devil Fruit"

"Y-you know?" - "Yeah, the Chop Chop Fruit, which allows the eater to divide his own body into many parts. Zoro, this fight's mine"

"O-oh, that's half the fight then" - Noted Coby, blinking: - "I did hear rumours that… do you still have the map we got from the cruiser?"

"Nami?" - "Here" - The lass presented the map, but was again interrupted by a growling noise. Looking at the mildly blushing Zoro, the quartet decided to go Rika's place, the Food Foo

There, a veritable feast was prepared for them, as word spread that Morgan was finally defeated and, according to rumours, arrested for his crimes and corruption, which was driving the city to ruins

Coby pointed the group, through the map, towards the region surrounding Organ Island, which was the last known position of Buggy's crew, making Luffy declare: - "Yosh, now we just have to find him and we're good"

Full of food and with their supplies gathered, the trio said their goodbyes to Coby, Rika, and the enthusiastic population wanting to thanks them, departing towards Organ Island, on the hunt for Buggy and his valuable map

* * *

AN: And, that's the chapter

I really have no idea why I kept that name for it. Really don't

Before we go to the differences from canon, allow me to thank you four:

 **livetheLuffy** and **sudhush** :Thank you for the review and the encouraging words! Hope you'll like this chapter

 **aidansidhe** and our mysterious **guest** : Thank you for the review! And about pairings, unfortunately, the story just _might_ have pairings. They're a tricky beast that should be handled with care

On to the differences from canon! The first, and one that should be on the _previous_ chapter, was Shanks' arm. Which wasn't lost. Somewhat surprised no one remarked on that

Number two, Luffy, with basic knowledge of navigation, successfully evades the whirlpool; that changes his meeting with Alvida, from baffling good luck of Luffy to a simply coincidence that she'd attack the ship that Luffy was on

Third, Nami joins earlier, thanks to the previous point; with Alvida defeated so fast, she didn't had the time to steal from her; she still would run away, as her real target is the map for the Grand Line. By sheer coincidence, again, she chooses Luffy's boat

Fourth, the second meeting between Zoro and Luffy. Before, Luffy let Zoro tied up; this time, Luffy released the ex-bounty hunter, making the process of recovering his swords much faster and the overall combat be much swifter

The last, was Luffy declaring his family name to Nami and Coby, helping them make the connection between him and his grandfather. Doesn't that explains a lot about him?


	4. Chaoter 3 - Meeting the 'Legend'

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 3 - Meeting the 'Legend'

* * *

"Hm~, sea bird~"

"Luffy, we don't have anything that'll reach it"

"I know, but I can dream, can't I?"

The journey towards Organ Island and its sole city, Orange Town, was, putting politely, very, very _boring_. It was just a long stretch of ocean travel, with no island or ship in sight, much to the annoyance of the captain of the dingy

But it did pay off, the trio soon finding a ship containing another trio: - "Halt! This is territory of the terrible Buggy's pirates!" - Spoke the central one, wearing a yellow shirt with purple lining, wine-coloured shorts and a black cap with his crew's Jolly Roger, an 'Yeah' shouted by the leftmost, fat and dark-skinned, wearing an open black vest and white pants held by a green sash

"If you want to get out alive, give us all your treasure" - Spoke the rightmost, wearing a stripped purple and yellow sleeveless shirt and grey pants held by a blue sash, alongside the most ridiculous haircut since Helmeppo: - "Come on, we don't have all day!"

"Yeah, but we have, since you'll have to reach us first" - Deadpanned Luffy, not even looking at them, digging at his nose and gazing at the skull with a big red nose and the black spikes blooming from the eyes, making them four-pointed stars. Exactly the man they were searching for: - "Nami, keep us going. If they reach us, we'll deal with them then"

A clunk had the three looking up, as they realized the Buggy's pirates boat had a set of oars, put to good use to reach the 'Straw Hat' Pirates

"Now" - Grinding his teeth in anger, the middle one again spoke: - "Hand. Us. The. Treasure"

"Nope" - Luffy proceeded to punch him in the face, the other two gaping at the aggression, before roaring in turn, preparing to attack. However, the delay was enough for Zoro to get bored and Nami to get annoyed, the green-haired man greeting his opponent with a punch of his own, and the ginger delivering an outright brutal slap from a collapsible staff she pulled from…

"Where did you get that from!?" - The cheeky minx just winked at Luffy, who watched baffled as she broke her weapon in three parts and guarded it… somewhere

* * *

Luffy was still metaphorically scratching his head when they arrived at Orange Town, only stopping upon noticing the state of it. It was a complete ghost town, with entire city blocks demolished as if struck by a massive explosion

Considering the massive and fancy ship at floating a fair distance away, it was rather easy to puzzle the situation

"How disappointing" - Muttered Luffy, much to the confusion of Nami and indifference of Zoro: - "After hearing Shanks talk about Buggy, I'd expect better" - Really, he expected someone who navigated with his idol to be more focused on adventure than the treasure that comes with piracy

"Shanks? 'Red-Haired' Shanks? What does he have with this?" - "Hm? Oh, Shanks spoke of Buggy to me before" - Spoke only for a few minutes, before departing, but still spoke of him

Nami processed the answer, and her jaw dropped - "You know 'Red-Haired' Shanks? One of the Yonkou?"

"He used my home village as a base of operations for a year. He was really cool Nami, he'd change your mind about wanting to be a pirate" - Declared Luffy, laughing at the face Nami made at the statement

"Now what, captain?" - Interrupted Zoro, not having any of the fun, instead focusing on scanning the deserted streets for any possible threat, and finding nothing

Turning to face his first mate, Luffy scratched his hat, and decided: - "Well, we know that Buggy is here, so we just need to find him and steal the map, right?"

"And his treasure, yes" - Cheeky _and_ greedy, the minx was!

"Shishishi, sure! Zoro, we're the distraction again, and the captain is mine!"

The search for Buggy was quite short, the trio not even needing to look far; with the ship of the pirate so close, it was only logical that the man himself would be close. Indeed, he was, in the Drinker's Pub, a massive bar that occupied its entire block, and the only part where there was any noise in the entire place

"Good luck Luffy; I'll search for the map now" - Declared Nami, separating from the group with a sway on her hips, the prospect of treasure filling her voice with happiness

"Fine Nami! Be careful!" - Called back Luffy: - "Now, Zoro, any ideas?"

"Nah; just find the nearest enemy and cut them up"

Luffy wasn't fond of cutting, but he could beat them, and he did just that, increasing the size his hand and shaping it into a massive fist, before destroying the door of the establishment

Curses and cuss words followed from inside it, the drunken pirates surprised with the intrusion and mostly defenceless against the barrage of fists and blades from Zoro, wielding two of his katanas, and Luffy, pummelling his enemies without even needing to call upon his powers

"What the flashy hell is going on here!?" - Came from the ceiling, of all places, the two realizing that Buggy must have been at the rooftops. Soon after, the man himself appeared in front of them, jumping from the building and landing at the entrance, as the rest of his crew appeared from the stairs, surrounding Luffy and Zoro

Buggy looked quite a lot like a clown, completely justifying his epithet, with a big red nose, a tattoo of crossed bones on his face, crossing over his eyes and forehead, two blue lines sprouting above his eyes, an orange hat with his Jolly Roger and two blue tassels, and red lipstick; he wears an orange captain's coat with white fur trimmings, a stripped red and white shirt, cyan pants held by a green sash, a purple scarf, and pointy boots over socks stripped like his shirt

The most important feature, however, was the quartet of daggers held in each hand, between his fingers, one of them launched in a wave at the pair. Luffy ducked out of the way of the pair of daggers that went in his direction, while Zoro deflected the sole one going at his with one of his own blades, the last dagger flying harmlessly between the two

"Heh, you're Buggy 'the Clown', eh? You're mine!" - With the exclamation, Luffy bounced forward, reaching the roof of the building with a single leap, and from there launched himself forward

* * *

Zoro had his own problems to deal with. His was the duty to ensure no mook or cannon fodder interfered with his captain's fight, and that meant dealing with the roaring pirates. Unfortunately for the bloodthirsty ex-bounty hunter, most were weaklings: - " _ **Bull Needles**_ "

With his two swords held forward, the green-haired man charged, stabbing repeatedly with his blades at anyone who stood in his path, jumping over an attempted tackle and finishing his attack with a spin: - " _ **Dragon Twister**_!" - The sheer air gust of the attack sent enemies flying, and those too close were carved into bloody pieces

With an order to die, another hapless pirate attempted to jump at him, but was punted aside by one of his own crewmates:

"Stop trying to die, you fool" - The man black hair had a special haircut, parallel shaved in the right side and long enough to hide his face on the left, with his face further obscured by a checkered blue and white scarf, while also wearing a sleeveless purple long coat, white pants held by a cyan sash, and white shoes; perhaps most uniquely, he was riding an unicycle, and from his mouth, he pulled a sabre, holding it comfortably in his hand

"Indeed. While he holds two swords, the third on his hips is a great clue of his identity" - Muttered another, wearing what appeared to be a white fur vest that bared his midriff, and a hood, again of white fur, with teddy bear ears, completing his look with blue pants held by a yellow sash, and brown boots. He also had a unique mount, and a much more intimidating one than a unicycle: a ferocious golden brown lion with a vivid pink, almost red, mane

The same man, facing the swordsman, identified him: - "That is Roronoa Zoro, the bounty hunter. He must be here for the bounty on our captain"

"Well, he'll receive something else, right, Mohji?" - "Indeed, Cabaji. Richie! Attack! _**Special Sideshow**_!"

The identified Mohji snapped forward with a whip, his lion mount Richie roaring alongside the weapon, Zoro evading both by running and ducking under the beast's tackle. When he stood up, he was with his white katana on his mouth and rushing after his opponents, Cabaji meeting his charge head-on

" _ **Acrobatics! Murder at the Steam Bath**_!" - As he dashed forward, the unicyclist spun his sword in a circle, slashing at the ground and creating a cloud of dust, pivoting in place to continue spinning and launching said cloud at Zoro, who dived head first through it. Unable to see through the cloud, Zoro simple kept charging, until he exited it, right in front of Mohji

"Hi-yah!" - The lion rider attempted to attack with a high kick, but was foiled by a shoulder tackle, sending him to the ground. Zoro, in mid-air, spun in place, his swords ready to lash out, but was interrupted in turn by a roar and a charging lion

The spinning motion of his cancelled attack ensured Zoro stood a few feet away from the beast, and right into the path of Cabaji, who had somehow climbed into the rafters and was poised to fall right on top of the green-haired swordsman: - " _ **Sting of the Unicycle**_!"

" _ **Special Sideshow**_!" - The whip lashed again, this time trapping Zoro's wrist, the swordsman slashing and cutting it with a grunt, before diving away from the falling acrobat. From so close, it would be impossible to miss his next attack, but Cabaji reacted first:

" _ **Acrobatics! Old Man's Flame**_!" - The breath of flames licked at Zoro, who, surprised by the unexpected heat, backed down. The two opponents of the newly minted pirate stared at him with, and Zoro stared back, as Richie joined his master's side

Two became three, then two again, as the lion roared, then one, as Cabaji charged right behind the feral beast. Zoro decided to put an end to it then and there, first by moving aside and holding all three of his blades parallel to each other on his right side, right where the lion passed: - " _ **Crab Grab**_!"

"R-Richie!" - The lion moaned in pain, and fell aside, a single deep wound on its side, the acrobat swordsman right behind the beast slashing forward, just to be blocked by two of Zoro's swords, the green-haired swordsman leaning forward with the third blade in his mouth: - " _ **Wolf Blade Stream**_ " - And slashing at his opponent's stomach with it, Cabaji falling forward, defeated and bleeding heavily from the singular slash

"Gah! Ca-Cabaji! W-w-wait, wait, Zoro, wai-" - Zoro did not wait, charging forward at his sole remaining opponent, who attempted to turn and run away. To his unpleasant surprise, the swordsman was faster, and was already in front of him as Mohji turned away: - " _ **Demon Slash**_!"

And as Zoro stood up from his last attack, Mohji falling with three bloody cuts on his chest, he turned to face his captain

" _ **Candy Candy Axe**_!" - Whose extended leg descended like the hammer of an angry god, crushing an oddly small Buggy

* * *

"Hey!" - Luffy's first action was a punch. Do remember that said punch was delivered while launching himself at high speed from the building's rafters

"Who the flashy hell are you!?" - Buggy had no troubles evading the attack, lashing out with his dagger filled hand, but missing the attack, Luffy passing right alongside him: - "With three swords, I can suspect your flashy partner's identity, but who the flashy hell are you!?"

"I'm Luffy, nice to meet ya" - Laughed the boy with the straw hat, as he stood up and started walking back inside the building he just skipped from: - "And you're Buggy, right? Damn, Shanks never told me you were so funny looking, shishishishi"

"S-S-Shanks? You know that bastard!?" - The comment made Luffy stop, not because of the insult, but because Buggy walked out of the building: - "Hm, yeah, I can believe you; I'm flashily certain I've seen that boring hat on his empty head before"

"Yeah, he used my village as a base of operations for a time when I was a child. He gave me his hat back then"

Buggy snorted in his place, drawing four more daggers for his empty hand: - "Spare me the flashy life stories, brat; you just attacked me and my men"

"You'll pay for that with your flashy~ life~"

Luffy outright guffawed at the comment, not intimidated at all: - "I-I'm sorry Buggy, b-but" - With a deep breath, Luffy controlled himself: - "Sorry, but I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Buggy's jaw literally dropped, separating from his body and hitting the ground. Sputtering, he spoke: - "Are you out of your mind!?"

The battle begun in earnest then, Buggy starting: - " _ **Chop Chop Cannon**_!" - And sending his recently rearmed hand at his opponent, who grasped the flying appendage firmly, moving his head aside before releasing it harmlessly past his ear

Already with the idea that the attack would turn at his back, Luffy rushed forward, an arm cocked and ready to deliver a devastating punch. Buggy grinned, and met the charge head-on, his remaining hand poised to strike

A punch deflected on Buggy's forearm, a quick swipe that brushed on Luffy's shirt, a kick that Buggy jumped over, another blocked by a raised knee; Luffy and Buggy, in pure physical strength, were evenly matched, which, quite frankly, disappointed a lot the boy with the straw hat

"This-" - A dodge, ducking under another kick: - "Is the guy who sailed with Shanks? Ya know he's one of the Yonkou, right?"

"Don't remind me of that flashy bastard!" - Punch, punch, and uppercut, all evaded, forcing the defender back to evade the daggers: - "Thanks to him, I'm here; thanks to him, I lost all the flashiest treasures of the world!"

"… The hell you're talking about?" - Luffy knew, thanks to Garp blurting it out, that Shanks was one of the Gold Roger's crewmates, and thus, so was Buggy; what bigger treasure could there be than sailing with the King of Pirates himself, and burying the One Piece?"

"It was a dark and flashy night" - Began Buggy, crossing his arms, his dismembered hand snapping its fingers as if demanding attention: - "We had just finished taking the treasure of a ship, when Shanks informed me that amongst the treasures was a Devil Fruit-"

"Oh! And they're really valuable, aren't they?" - In fact, if not for his desire to save as many lives from the fire, he wouldn't have gambled with his Devil Fruit

"Don't interrupt me! Flashy bastard! Ahem" - Buggy shouted, pointing with both his attached and floating hand, before coughing in said floating hand: - "But yes, they are"

"I myself had also found a map to an underwater treasure. I had then the perfect plan to start my own crew: Take the fruit with me, sell it, and use the money gained from it and the treasure to become rich! Flashily brilliant!" - Shouted 'the Clown', his arms open, his hand back to its place at the end of his arm: - "I made a fake of the Devil Fruit and ate it, and was preparing to depart when _he_ appeared"

"Who, Shanks?" - "Yes! Shanks! To hide my devious trick, I put the Devil Fruit in my mouth to hide it" - Luffy started snickering, hiding it behind his hand: - "Then, right after he turned around, he turned again and surprised me!"

"He made me eat the fruit, and drop my map in the ocean!" - Shouted Buggy, an aura of violence around him, intensifying as Luffy outright laughed at the story: - "I dived to try and retrieve the map, but by them it was too late; I couldn't even move while underwater! If not for Shanks, I'd have died!"

"It's all his fault! I become a weakling for eating the Devil Fruit! At least half of the flashy treasures of the world are gone from my hands! What are you flashily laughing about, you bastard!?"

"Of you" - Here, Luffy's laugher turned outright mocking, the boy smirking nastily at Buggy: - "You stole from your crew, tried to run away, and was still spared, and you dare curse the one who saved your life?"

"E-eh… w-when put like that…" - Stammered Buggy, Luffy smirk turning into a frown:

"You steal from others, attack innocent people, and goes against your own crew? And dare be ungrateful when they save your own life!? You're a horrible pirate, Buggy, and I'm going to put an end to you right now!"

" _ **Candy~ Candy~, Cannonball**_!" - His hands latching on the ground, Luffy skipped backwards, stretching his candy arms, then dashed forward, launching himself through his improvised slingshot at his baffled opponent, not expecting another Devil Fruit user. Buggy still evaded the attack, sweating as he noticed that Luffy transformed into whatever he was, and was thus a Logia

"Y-you think that you can deal with me!?" - While Buggy never learned Haki to the extent of Shanks, and was thoroughly out of practice, that didn't mean he was defenceless, drawing a hidden, special dagger: - "Come and get it!"

" _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!" - The fast punch almost struck Buggy again, barely evading the stretched fist and slashing with his special dagger, made of Seastone, touching the syrup and making it decay, turning into nothing and leaving the candy to splash on the ground, separated from its user. That, however, did not weaken said user: - " _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!"

That punch did struck Buggy, the blow separating his jaw from his body and sending the man flying in the air, until he snapped back, held by the sticky substance to Luffy's fist: - "-And _**Cannonball**_!" - The body blow that followed finally separated the two, while also separating Buggy from his valuable dagger

Throwing the handful of daggers he still held, Buggy scrambled to grab his prized Seastone dagger, but failed, as Luffy didn't gave him a second of rest: - " _ **Candy Candy Axe**_!" - He exclaimed, his leg launched high and solidified, turning into a pillar of rock hard candy, and falling at high speed at his opponent, who divided himself in two to evade the attack

Linking himself together, 'the Clown' shouted: - " _ **Chop Chop Festival**_!" - And dismantled his body into various small parts, sending them scrambling everywhere

"Whoa!" - Jumping around, Luffy was able to evade the cloud of body parts, doing so more by instinct than anything else, as he lost track of the mysterious dagger that had cut through his syrupy attack

With his head and hands floating up, Buggy, panting and huffing declared: - "I don't understand why you're so flashily pissed off, 'Straw Hat' Luffy, but I don't care! All I care about is treasure! Gold, silver, jewels!"

Then he spied, a little orange-haired lass with a massive sack on her back, tiptoeing away, making his greedy instincts blare: - "Like the ones that brat just stole!"

"Eh!?" - In face of the accusation, coming from a head and two hands floating, Nami couldn't help but flinch: - "M-m-me? I-I'm j-just t-taking some t-things from h-h-home!?"

"Which is treasure! Minemineminemine!" - Cried out Buggy, charging forward, and making Luffy snarl. The snarl turned into a nasty grin as he realized that Buggy's feet where walking rather than floating

"Gimme! Give me the treasure!" - "N-no way! It's mine!" - Nami tried to slam the heavy sack of stolen treasure into the charging head, but it simply stopped, his hands halting the treasure and gripping it

"Mnhehehe, no, little girl, this treasure is mine no- hurgh!" - Buggy tried to gloat. Tried, as Luffy shouted: - " _ **Candy~ Candy~**_ "

Buggy turned to look at the boy plaguing him, and saw that his hands where on the floor, anchoring him as he stood high above: - " _ **Press**_!" - And fell, pulled by his arms, crushing his feet, which were walking too slowly to evade the attack

"Grrr~, I'll deal with you later" - Grunted 'the Clown', turning to face his opponent, who simply grinned unrepentant: - "I'm your opponent Buggy, don't forget it"

"Oh yeah, well, prepare yourself 'Straw Hat'" - Declared Buggy, revealing his special dagger, which he recovered somehow: - "I'll deal with you this time! _**Chop Chop Harpoon**_!" - The bladed hand charged forward, joining with most of his forearm in mid-air, making Luffy snort:

"This just makes it easier to grab-" - " _ **Disassemble**_!" - The real attack of the technique showed itself, as Luffy grabbed the arm, and the hand separated, stabbing forward, only barely missing Luffy by sheer luck, through still knocking his hat from his head

"… Okay, that was creative" - Luffy dusted his hat, putting it back on his head, and ducking as the hand tried to stab him in the back, passing harmlessly over him, the dark-haired teen charging forward right after it: - " _ **Candy Candy, Pistol**_!"

Calling his attack and launching his fist forward, the attack almost struck the flying hand, who hastily evaded the punch; Buggy smile faded as he discovered the attack was now reading straight at him, 'the Clown' outright squawking at being struck and launched, landing right in front of the Drinker's Pub

However, 'the Clown' wasn't down yet. Panting, he stood up, and declared: - "Y-you think I'm down? Not yet… not yet! _**Chop Chop Assembly**_!"

His body parts floated in the air… but all that he received was his hands and feet, attaching themselves to his head like a demented caricature of a human. Luffy couldn't resist, and outright fell down laughing 'till it hurts, yet kept going, especially as he realized what happened, glancing backwards and seeing Nami, of all people, standing on a tied-up pack of body parts

"N-Nami, y-you're the best, shi, heh, now I really want you on my crew!" - And with that, he launched his leg up, again turning it into a pillar of solid candy, before slamming it down on the shrunk Buggy, ignoring his stammering and begging: - " _ **Candy Candy Axe**_!"

* * *

The aftermath of the fight was spent mostly winding down and carrying away all the treasure of Buggy, abusing his unconsciousness to take even more than the tangerine-haired thief could take, much to her happiness. Included, was the Seastone dagger, who now rested in a hidden sheath alongside her staff, which meant Luffy had no idea where it was guarded

It helped that shortly after they reached the harbour, they met the trio of stooges they defeated while at sea, who promptly ran away, leaving behind their relatively bigger boat, with a treasure chest already present and already filled, to Nami's further glee

All the fun went away as Nami found herself sitting in front of Luffy, who sat in seiza, with a serious expression and dressed with his coat, Zoro somewhere behind her, which was much more intimidating than they probably meant. Right?

"Nami" - Started Luffy, his gaze softening at the lass: - "I'd like you to join my crew"

"… Don't we already have a deal?" - Fidgeted the ginger, looking back, relaxing only slightly at the sight of Zoro fast asleep

"Yeah, we have; and I want to change it" - She hastily turned to stare at him, blinking: - "You're awesome, Nami; you're also probably the best navigator on the East Blue"

"I want you to permanently join the 'Straw Hat' pirates" - Declared Luffy, standing tall and proud, a happy smile on his face as if expecting a positive answer

Nami didn't want to give him a negative one. She, however, couldn't give a positive one, her hand hovering over her right shoulder: - "I… I- can't accept"

Luffy, to her relief, appeared confused, but nodded in agreement, though he asked: - "What do I need to do then?"

"Luffy-" - "Nami, hear me out"

Nami did shut up, and listened: - "I can already tell that you like us; even more than you hate pirates"

"The fact you _can't_ accept also means that you like us enough to stay with us. So something is stopping you from accepting"

Luffy's legs moved, the boy exiting his seiza position for a much more comfortable one: - "So, what do I need to do to help you? Is it a sick family member? Are you being threatened or something?"

"Something" - Muttered Nami, who flinched. She hadn't meant to actually answer that out loud. Then the lass squeaked, as Luffy, suddenly, hugged her

"Then let me help you"

"… You know… you might" - Nami suddenly realized something very important. Luffy didn't just manipulate candy syrup, he also _transformed_ into the material

"I'm from Cocoyashi Village in Conomi Island, and we have a big problem…" - She said, a devious idea forming on her head

* * *

AN: Okay, and~ cut. Shorter than average, but then again, it is Christmas, I can get away with lazing a little

So, Merry Christmas! Or merry holidays, or merry whatever else you might commemorate this day!

On towards the reviews: _**Awareness Bringer**_ , thank you for the review. I personally don't mind the spoiler, but others might, so be careful with them; the fruit you mention is, canonically, the Lick Lick Fruit, and nothing else I'll say of the matter, to not spoil it for others. The one I'm using for Luffy is the Candy Candy Fruit, in the original Japanese the Ame Ame no Mi, used by Gasparde, the villain of the fourth movie, Dead End Adventure. It was a Logia Devil Fruit that gave him the power to transform into a green candy syrup

 _ **Johnny Spectre**_... knowing Luffy, he'd probably taste like meat. How _that_ would taste like is a mistery even to me; meanwhile, I believe not even a complete glutton like Bonney or Luffy himself might be curious enough to find out...

 _ **sudhush**_ , thanks again for the review; and concerning your question, fire _would_ totally hurt Luffy. The fact he can drown flames in candy syrup doesn't make him immune to said flames

And to both _**guests**_ , thanks for the review, and don't worry; the only pairing I can confirm right now is Usopp x Kaya; everyone else can still be paired with everyone else

About differences with canon, the second principal one here is that Luffy is far less forgiving of Buggy for, basically, stealing from his crew. The fact that he also was ungrateful and attacking the idol of Luffy didn't help, even if rationally 'Straw Hat' knew he didn't need to care about the insults

The one even further important, is that Nami _is_ planning to betray Arlong; the minx is a devious girl, she's a trickster, she's a thief and a damn good one, and she doesn't trust Arlong even with his words about money. So she is preparing a back-up, in case the fishman tries to spoil her Plan A

Last and least, is the dagger I gave to Buggy to combat Devil Fruit users. I believe he has some sort of complex, believing himself inferior, considering how his old crew saw his act of eating the fake Devil Fruit; it resulted in him seeing himself as weak, as everyone believed that losing the ability to swim was too big a cost for something that could be useless. _That_ is why he decideed to stay on the East Blue, rebuilding his forces on a weak environment, not realizing he _was_ strong, and was in fact getting weaker and dependant of his weaponry, even if he was getting more and more creative with his Devil Fruit and more knowledgeable about his chemistry and explosives

That doesn't stop him from being an ungrateful arse, in my opinion

And that's it. Review, comment what you like, point out what you dislike, and again, Happy Christmas Holidays from Brazil to everyone reading!

Peace!


	5. Chapter 4 - Bad Luck

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

Chapter 4 - Bad Luck

Nami rested, on all of the available places, the top of the cabin of the little dingy they occupied. There, she could stretch like a lazy cat who just caught the fattest canary, the girl thinking back on the previous meeting with Gaimon

It was a relatively brief encounter: a nameless island rumoured to possess a great treasure, guarded by the 'Guardian God of the Forest', Gaimon, a man-in-a-box, literally, the man having fallen from a great height straight into a chest, where he had been stuck for the past twenty years. Then, with the arrival of trustworthy pirates, as if such a thing existed, he revealed the secret of the treasure island

All six chests, other than the one he himself occupied, where hidden on top of one of the island's plateaus. Luffy climbed, and to the sadness of all present, declared that all the chests where empty

And then he cheered Gaimon up, by noting that if they waited further, the man himself could have died deluded that he was guarding a great treasure, when in truth there was nothing. It actually worked, and the trio departed from the island waving goodbyes to Gaimon and his cheery menagerie of weird animals, who, the least said about, the better for her own sanity

Thus, they now navigated in silence towards Gecko Island, their next stop before… home

' _I like here… I'll long for this… peace'_

…

Of course, peace was quite possibly the worst possible word to describe their little boat, Luffy bugging Zoro as he fished, talking about the inanest of things. At least they learned a little about him, who claimed to have two older brothers, both who were famous pirates, already deep into the Grand Line, through neither she nor Zoro caught their names, as their captain blabbed too fast

Then she looked up from the map on her lap, and saw it: - "Luffy! We're approaching Gecko Island!"

"Really?" - Pulling a particularly fat tuna, Luffy exulted: - "Woohoo! Finally! The sea might be wonderful but with no action it's boring as hell!"

Blinking at the chants of 'adventure' coming from Luffy, Nami giggled softly, landing on the floor and letting his enthusiasm spread, as even Zoro woke up

"Halt!" - But, at the beach, they found opposition. Standing at the top of the cliffs surrounding the beach, a young man, tanned and with an abnormally long nose, dressed in brown overalls and boots, with a white sash around his waist, a satchel hanging from his shoulders, and a stripped white and blue armband on his left arm; most notably, however, was the blue headband with 'Yasopp' written on it at his forehead, holding a curly bush of black hair that reached his shoulders

"This is territory of the terrible captain Usopp! Captain of the Usopp Pirates, consisting of eight thousand pirates!" - As he spoke, hundreds of flags, showing a shocked mask over crossbones, appeared on the cliff, occupying it in its entirety between the edge of the beach and the slope entering the island proper: - "And this island is my territory! Any trespasser will be _shot_ , so turn around and be gone!"

"So cool!" - The teen received an unexpected reaction, floundering at Luffy's reaction: - "You're Usopp, right? Of course you are, you have your dad's headband!"

"Eh? You knew my dad…? That straw hat! You're Luffy, aren't you? Shanks' protégé? He said you'd come one day!"

"Luffy, you know him?" - Zoro asked, his hand leaving his swords

Luffy laughed embarrassed, scratching his hat: - "Y-yes, I… completely forgot to tell you about him, right?"

And so the boy with the straw hat told his crew of Yasopp, sniper of the 'Red-haired' pirates, who never stopped speaking about his son, Usopp. The tanned boy joined the group, alongside three kids, who were the real crew of the Usopp pirates, much to his embarrassment and everyone's amusement, and he further explained the story, of how shortly after departing from Dawn Island, they visited Gecko Island, telling Usopp of Luffy, the boy with Shanks' straw hat and who one day would visit

"Well, what a coincidence you were in the way" - Noted Nami, with a deadpan stare at Luffy: - "Our _captain_ completely forgot from mentioning you"

Luffy again scratched his hat, a weak apology leaving his lips as Nami, Zoro, _and_ Usopp bonked his head

* * *

The Meshi, the restaurant of Syrup Village, was a homely, clean and well-cared for eatery. And the sole eatery of the village, for that matter

It reminded Luffy of the Partys Bar, and Makino

There, Usopp introduced Ninjin, freckled, who had shaggy purple hair covering his eyes, a red bandana with his crew's Jolly Roger, a black hooded sweater, orange trousers held by a brown sash, and brown shoes; Tamanegi, wearing glasses, with his brown hair resembling an onion, and with a yellow shirt under a blue vest, brown trousers held by a dark gold sash, and black shoes; and Piiman, lightly tanned, with dark green hair, a light green shirt with Usopp's skull and crossbones, a light blue sash holding blue trousers, and black shoes

There, Usopp also bragged about his snipping skills, using a slingshot of all weapons, somewhat explained by his sheer variety of ammunitions: - "From shrapnel bombs to incendiary shots, I have everything for every situation"

"Shishishi, then, welcome aboard Usopp, you're invited as our sniper!" - The friendship born between Luffy and the tanned sniper was completely unsurprising, really

Said sniper had to gather his things, and say goodbye to all his friends, including the three children who looked ready to weep at the departure of their captain

"Hey, Usopp!" - Before he could depart, however, Luffy asked: - "We also need a good ship. Any idea if we could get one around here?"

"Yeah, we're almost out of space…" - Agreed Nami, nibbling on a piece of fruit

Scratching his chin, Usopp thought about it, and snapped his fingers: - "There~ might"

"Follow me!" - And they did, all of them moving together after paying for their meal, Luffy animatedly talking with the children, cheering them up, as they imagined all the adventures Usopp would get himself into with Luffy and his crew

They soon reached a beautiful mansion, surrounded by a plant fence and a light and soft yellow with a blue roof, making the crew of pirates whistle in appreciation. Usopp guided the crew to a secret opening, a place where a block of plant could be safely removed, and from there they entered the building, soon reaching an open window, where a cute young lady rested

The lady noticed them soon, and exclaimed happily, with a note of confusion: - "Usopp! And… friends?" - She had light blonde hair, and was wearing a soft white camisole, as if she had just gotten out of bed; considering that, from what Luffy and company could see, that window led to her bedroom, that might just be the case

"Hey, Kaya, this is Luffy, like Shanks said!" - Sort of introduced Usopp, the girl brightening further as if that was enough: - "Luffy, crew, this is Kaya; she is the owner of the manor, and might have the ship you asked for"

"Eh!? Captain is in first name basis with the pretty lady!?" - "Eh, boys; Kaya only has a first name"

As the children gazed in awe at their captain for such a fetching catch, Luffy climbed the tree besides the window, actually reaching Kaya and thus able to speak on the same level, the dark-haired boy asking if she had a ship available

"Of course, Luffy" - "Eh?"

Giggling, Kaya explained herself: - "Shanks spoke of you when he visited, and I can name only one person on the entire Syrup Village who dislikes pirates"

"I can speak with Merry; technically, the ship is his, but he should be more than willing to give it away to you"

Luffy blinked, then grinned widely: - "Thank you!" - And pulled the girl into a hug, almost taking her from the window, to her laugher and everyone's amusement

Except Usopp: - "Oi, Luffy, Kaya is sick! Be more gentle with her!" - He said, taking Kaya from the hug and literally carrying her back inside, climbing the tree in record time to separate the two. Then he realized he was carrying her like a bride, and somehow swiftly and gently dumped her on her bed, blushing bright red alongside her; a smile was still present on Kaya's face, one must note

The lass in fact giggled, at the dopey expression on the tanned teen's face: - "You worry too much, Usopp; soon you'd be just like Klahadore"

Usopp stopped staring at his own hands, and adopted a frown, through one could see his eyes still shone, as he perched on the tree alongside Luffy: - "Now, I'm almost insulted; would Klahadore, at the age five-" - And so Usopp wove his tale, of when, at the age five, he fought a giant goldfish, whose poop was so big it could be confused with entire islands, and how he valiantly, on his tiny boat, fought and defeated it to feed a desperate starving village, to be known forevermore as the 'Heroic' Usopp

It was to a group filled with laugher that Klahadore introduced himself: - "What is happening here!?"

The group, including Kaya, blinked as one, as they noticed his presence; slim, with well cared black hair, glasses on his face, almost slipping and put back in place with the palm of his hand, and a black tie over a fine black suit with a white collar and… curious golden markings on the front, alongside equally curious stripped black and white shoes

"What are you doing here? Do you know you are breaking in private property?"

"K-Klahadore! Don't worry, they're friends!"

"I worry, that they might be a bad influence, lady Kaya, especially Usopp, 'the Liar'"

The somewhat pompous butler soon herded the group outside, the crew not wanting conflict, satisfied with the promise from Kaya. Through, it seemed he wanted problem, as he didn't wait for anyone to get out of hearing range to badmouth pirates 'and their spawns'

Kaya admonishment made it more bearable, though

* * *

The words of Klahadore, while washing away like water on a duck's back for Luffy, Nami and Zoro, were much more effective on Usopp, who hated anyone who badmouthed his father. Yasopp was a pirate, making Usopp the son of a pirate, something he was proud of!

So he went to the cliffs at the south of the island to mope and sulk. He had a particularly pleasant imagery on his head, when Luffy, concerned for his newest crewmate, appeared out of nowhere, the surprise almost dropping the tanned teen from his perch and down into the beach

"Don't do that!" - He hissed, before blinking in confusion: - "And what are you doing here?"

"Checking on you. You're on my crew now, right?"

"… Is it as easy as you say? So far everything has been quite simple"

"Well, too simple, to be honest; I didn't expect your girlfriend to agree to simply give us a ship, just like that"

Ignoring the sputtering Usopp, Luffy continued: - "We were actually going to plan a party to welcome you and commemorate getting the ship, but you were gone by then"

"Heh, sorry; but that damned butler~" - Usopp also decided to ignore the 'girlfriend' comment, focusing on the rest: - "If I had been closer, I'd punch him in the face"

"Your girlfriend probably wouldn't like that" - "No, she wouldn't…"

A beat

"And she's not my girlfriend" - "She isn't!?"

"Did you hear something" - "Hm? Nope, I've heard nothing"

A beat. Luffy and Usopp, carefully, peeked over the cliff, and to their surprise, discovered they weren't alone; down below stood Klahadore and… a somewhat weird man: the outfit was rather acceptable, consisting of a blue jacket and hat, green gloves and pants, a black belt, and black shoes with white socks; but the heart shaped glasses and the stripped _thing_ on his chin that was definitively not a beard were somewhat bizarre

"Matters not, probably a deer or other wild beast" - Remarked Klahadore, turning to the other man and speaking with a tone of admonishment: - "And you? Falling asleep in the middle of the streets? Didn't I tell you to not call attention, Jango?"

Jango's answer, to the eavesdroppers, was completely baffling for them: - "I'm not weird. Who are you calling weird" - But it appeared to be expected by Klahadore, who simply sighed:

"Doesn't matter. As long as the plan goes through, it should be enough"

"Oh yes, the murder of, Kaya, isn't it? My, so heartless, to order the death of a young girl, captain _Kuro_ "

Further conversation almost went unheard, Usopp retreating in shock at what he was hearing: - "Now, now, murder is such a strong word, Jango; it was an 'unfortunate accident', remember? And what did I tell you about that name? Call me Klahadore"

"Yeah, yeah, we invade, sack the village, sack the obviously rich manor atop the hill, and the poor girl doesn't survive the experience" - Jango waved his hand, as if such details didn't matter: - "Dying after she has been hypnotised and has a will giving everything for you, yes, I do remember the plan, _Klahadore_ "

"It will be soon, right?" - The question made Usopp lean again, clearly desperate: - "The guys are getting restless on the Bezan"

"Then you can begin by tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun rises"

* * *

"K-K-Kuro? C-captain Kuro 'of a Thousand Plans'? H-he's s-supposed t-t-to h-have been e-executed three years a-ago! Right… right a-as Klahadore washed ashore!"

"Usopp, calm down" - Zoro finally said, putting his hands on the teen's shoulder: - "Didn't you heard his plan was going to be executed this morning? Then we can still deal with him"

"If you want, you can keep watch over her" - Pointed out Luffy: - "We can deal with the pirates easily"

"Yes… wait, a-actually, Luffy, it's better if you deal with him! You can more easily protect Kaya _and_ fight at the same time!"

"Yeah… yeah, that's a better plan" - Admitted the boy, pouting. He would have preferred to participate in the big fight, but protecting Usopp's girlfriend took priority; and while he knew that, while a sniper, Usopp was still a capable fighter, if his opponent was well known after three years of supposed death…

"Besides, with your Devil Fruit, you can sneak inside and hide close to her, in case anything happens" - Noted Nami, imagining the uses a thief could find with such powers, ranging from forging lockpicks to squeezing into tight hiding places to simply strangling enemies into unconsciousness

"Fine. But first, we need to discover wherever they will attack"

"W-well, they will attack from where we found them, right? It's the only entrance to the island proper"

"What about where we met?" - Luffy deadpanned, making Usopp pause

"Those cliffs… those cliffs are much closer to the village; true, it's more likely they'll attack from there!"

Thus, offered Luffy: - "… So, while I can't participate, that doesn't stop me from laying down some help, right?"

The plateau was simply unsurmountable, other than the natural ramps, so it was only natural that said ramps to be booby trapped, Luffy covering it with candy filled potholes that, when stepped on, would glue the foot in place, hopefully wrenching it out of position, the traps complemented by Usopp with caltrops to ensure even the paths without potholes would be troublesome to cross

And, since better safe than sorry, the other cliff was trapped with slippery oil, to buy time in case the pirates did appear on the coast Kuro and Jango talked

That didn't stop Luffy from having to crunch himself into an itty-bitty blob of candy, that rolled in position through the bushes and used its sticky properties to climb the wall, resting right at the window of Kaya, watching over her sleeping form. It was a very boring watch, for the most part, with nothing happening, but then he heard a small shout of pain, followed by what appeared to be wood being carved

Squeezing under the window, Luffy bounced over Kaya, and hid under her bed, as a slightly sweaty Kuro appeared, with fuzzy gloves, whose fingers had a katana at each tip, making for wickedly long claws. Claws that were covered in blood. Kuro already killed somebody

"You bastard!" - Kaya awoke, shocked at seeing her normally calm and peaceful butler armed and with blood on said arms, and before she could ask what was happening, Luffy shouted: - " _ **Candy Candy Cannonball**_!" - And launched himself forward, shooting himself with elastic tiny limbs, and growing in size until he was human again, already spinning in place for a devastating kick on Kuro, who jumped back

" _ **Candy Candy Lance**_!" - The kicking leg extended forward, his foot hardened and spear-shaped, going through the wall as Kuro again evaded, running away

"L-Luffy!? W-what is happening!" - Called out Kaya, as she made to stand up: - "W-why was Klahadore armed!? Luffy!?"

"Kaya! Does anyone else live here!?"

"M-Merry!? Oh Luffy, what is happening!?" - Luffy didn't had good news for the lass, however

"Kuro's claws were covered in blood" - And the poor girl toppled over. Luffy could now see the sickness that Usopp mentioned; the girl was sweating severely, fidgeting and trembling in place, and clearly had no strength to stand up

"N-n-n-no, M-Merry is alright… Kuro?"

Luffy didn't bother explaining, instead gently taking the girl, carrying her downwards to a scene of a massacre. Merry was dressed in a suit much like Kuro, and white hair that did not look to be from age, with two curls of brown hair resembling a lamb's; he also had vicious gouges on his chest, bleeding profusely. So shocking the sight, Kaya couldn't even scream

"Mister Merry!? Mister, you're alive? Did Kuro do this to you!?"

"M-m-mistress K-Kaya?" - "She's okay, mister; I stopped Kuro"

In spite of his wounds, Merry laughed in relief: - "K-K-Klahadore~, K-Klaha-"

"Is secretly a pirate who was supposed to have been executed three years ago, named Kuro 'of a Thousand Plans'" - Finally explained Luffy, drawing a strangled gasp from Kaya, who shook her head in denial

"N-no! K-Klahadore wouldn't, h-h-he-"

"H-he speaks the truth, lady Kaya" - "Oi, mister! Don't strain yourself!" - Merry didn't care, leaning on the wall, at least not attempting to stand up: - "K-Kaya, y-you need to hide, you need to find a safe place; I'll be fine, I'll be fine"

"Merry~…" - It was clear the lass didn't want to abandon her butler, however

Luffy came to the rescue of them both: - "The safest place will be with me, don't worry. I'll stay to protect you both"

Kaya, sobbing, gave him a hug: - "T-thank you Luffy~… c-could y-you help me patch up Merry? W-we s-should have a medical kit somewhere…"

The boy with the straw hat really wanted to go after Kuro, but he knew that the girl and her real butler needed protection more than anything: - "Sure, what do you need me for?"

* * *

The situation on the cliffs… were going well, all things told

They guessed right, and the traps and caltrops did wrench several pirates back, many twisting their own feet as they stepped on potholes and moved them out of place. Those who did pass had the very unpleasant surprise of dealing with the infamous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, who didn't hesitate in slashing them apart

Then Jango called the attention of everyone present. Nami and Zoro, who met them before, noticed he was wearing a longer coat, with various golden rings decorating it: - "When I say: 'one, two, Jango', you will simply move away and let us pass"

" _ **One, Two, Jango**_! You're welcome~" - He waved his ring, and then turned aside, having hypnotised himself

"You know, you showed us your tricks before, right?" - Remarked Nami with an eyebrow raised, worrying for the pirate's sanity, having closed her eyes. The meeting had been brief, when the man, walking backwards, after commenting that he wasn't weird, introduced himself as a passing hypnotist, showcasing his powers by hypnotising the Ninjin, Tamanegi, and Piiman, falling asleep alongside them

"Grr. Then, 'Black Cat' pirates! When I say 'one, two, Jango', you'll be stronger than ever! Your wounds won't matter anymore! And you will stomp down those insignificant pests!"

" _ **One, Two, Jango**_!" - Notably, Jango covered his eyes with his hat as he finished

"Does he honestly expect that to work?" - Asked Zoro, blinking in time to nullify the effect. To his and Nami's shock, it did, the pirate crew roaring as one, one of them punching the cliffs and making a part of the natural walls to collapse

"Welp… fuck" - Drawing his white blade and putting it in his mouth, the green-haired swordsman prepared for a difficult battle

Then, another shock for the pair, as _Usopp_ released his own, surprisingly intimidating, warcry, drawing his slingshot and taking aim. Zoro almost let his prized katana fall from his mouth, as the tanned boy let loose a barrage of his pachinko pebbles, the metal pellets striking with enough strength to break bones, aimed at every body part he could hit, an unfortunately high pitched scream indicating it included even the dirtiest target possible

Then he pulled his hammer, his slingshot thrown into his offhand, and _charged_ , belting another warcry. Nami realized then: - "Usopp didn't met the hypnotist!" - And thus, didn't knew to avert his eyes from the ring

The first pirate still standing tried to roar and slash with a scimitar, but had his head literally stomped on the ground and used as a stepping stone for Usopp to jump high, who jumped over the front line and charged after _Jango_ , much to his sputtering. Fortunately, for the pair atop the cliffs, the tanned teen already weakened severely the numbers charging at them: - " _ **Dragon Twister**_!" - Thus, they were easily defeated by Zoro, who, while recognizing the newfound strength of the pirates, simply was stronger, especially with the number advantage so heavily reduced

Even Nami shined, unfolding her staff from its hidden place, parrying a scimitar and countered with a blow at the shoulder, then spinning in place to stab his chin; the next jumped and slashed with two sabres, slamming them on her staff and meeting his defeat as she twirled her weapon, both making him slip to her right and making him meet her staff on his ear

Two more pirates met their defeat, charging right into her staff and clotheslining themselves as she thrusted it forward horizontally. A fifth charged with a crude stone hammer, but the tangerine-haired lass simply stepped back, stepped on the weapon that crushed her previous position, and kicked him in the face

"Heh, that was- Usopp!" - Nami noticed the tanned teen, fallen on the ground, in front of Jango, who was panting and slowly crawling backwards, having hypnotised Usopp into falling asleep

"Usopp!" - "Nami, wait!" - The lass charged herself, Zoro almost following, only halting because then no one would defend the village; Nami charged forward, stomping on the pirates and slamming her staff on anyone who tried to grab her

One of them still tried to stand up, crawling towards her, but was stomped on, this time by Zoro: - "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"C-c-captain! W-we don't s-stand a chance against these guys!" - Said the man under Zoro's foot

"Tch, Buchi, Sham! Come here!" - Answered Jango, directing himself to two persons, who appeared from the top of the ship: - "Deal with the swordsman! The girl… appears to be mine"

"Actually, I'm here for~ this" - And she stomped on… Usopp's head: - "Gurk~"

The teen was pretty chafed by it: - "Nami! What the hell!?"

"Thank me later, now fight!" - And she struck with a leap, Jango simply turning aside to let the strike pass, raising his ring to strike but backing down again at the shout of: - " _ **Lead, Star**_!"

* * *

While Nami and Usopp faced the captain, Zoro watched with eyebrows twitching as Sham, trembling and after a long time of whining, charged at the pirate hunter. It would have worked too, if not for the small snickers a few of the downed pirates released, cluing the green-haired young man that something was afoot

The sudden light that entered the slit eyes of Sham still caught him by surprise. Sham had green hair, much like Zoro, divided into three curly points, one in each side of the head and one as his bangs; he was dressed in a navy shirt with grey buttons and a magenta bowtie, light blue shorts, and brown shoes with white socks

And on each of his hands, delivering an onslaught of fast attacks, dark brown clawed gloves that caught the ex-pirate hunter by surprise, defending himself with the two katanas in his hands

"Nyahahah, smart one, aren't you!? Now, Buchi!" - "Right, brother! _**The Cat Stomp**_!" - Zoro looked up, and paled. Buchi was fat and tall, unlike his skinny and hunchback brother; pale-skinned, he wore a shoulder pad on his left side, making him resemble an overweight black and white cat, and over it a cloak of stripped light and dark purple with white fluffy brim, black and pale pink stripped trousers held by a yellow sash, brown boots, and a black hat that would cover one of his eyes if not for a hole

He also had claws on his hands, thanks to blue, almost white gloves, but that was meaningless in face of the fact that a giant of a man was about to attempt to stomp him, though he had a way to evade: - " _ **Wolf Blade Stream**_ " - Leaning forward, Zoro danced, slashing with the blade on his mouth, and changing places with Sham, who almost was the one stomped on, an attack that broke the stone

To the swordsman's surprise, Sham was not wounded, in spite of the visible cut on his shirt going almost all the way through it. Zoro ignored the banter between the two, instead focusing on his opponents

Sham hunchback and skinny build made him a shorter, smaller target, and was not to be underestimated. Buchi was the real danger through, containing all the strength of the pair

Zoro's attention returned to Sham, as the enemy with green-hair realized that their banter was being ignored: - "Hey! Cat got your tongue? Prepare for this! _**March of the Pussywillows**_!"

"… What sort of attack is named that?" - With a twitching eyebrow, Zoro decided that the best course of action was to defeat Buchi first, so he prepared to do just that: - " _ **Tiger Hunt**_!"

The attack wasn't aimed at either of the two, rather aimed between them. The shockwave pushed them apart, and Zoro realized the flaw of his plan, as the one in front of him was the one at his left, Sham

Well, he had a way to deal with that, too: - " _ **Dragon Twister**_ " - The spinning attack was performed while jumping backwards, so while the skinnier opponent didn't even need to bother to evade, Buchi had a bladed hurricane moving in his direction, launching him upwards and backwards with an X shaped cut on his chest, as he failed to evade

"B-Buchi!" - "Don't worry, now's your turn" - "Eh?"

" _ **Demon Slash**_!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Usopp and Nami… hadn't much trouble

Oh, Jango was a formidable opponent, his ring being bladed and slashing through Nami's staff and almost striking her chest. But she could still fight, able to use the two intact parts halves of her staff as a quarterstaff, with Usopp serving as ranged support, snipping not only Jango but also any pirate who appeared willing to intervene

And the man couldn't attempt to hypnotise anyone: attempt to make them let him pass, and they'd simply close their eyes; attempt to power himself up, and they _wouldn't_ close their eyes, also getting the boost

In short, he was screwed, and he knew it, even more as he realized that Zoro knocked down Buchi and might have killed Sham

Whether Kuro's sudden appearance make it better or worse was to be decided. Then he realized that Kuro had been there for a while, and was visibly displeased with the situation; so, worse, a _lot_ worse

"Pathetic" - With the comment, Nami and Usopp could only gasp, as they saw the enemy captain disappear. Nami hastily raised her remaining staff pieces in a defensive position and that saved her life, as Kuro started on her, five blades slamming on the crossed pieces. Then the staff splintered, and the tangerine-haired lass gasped in pain as her attempted kick turned into an ill-advised block, two blades being halted by her left leg. She outright screamed as Kuro proceeded to grab and throw her, gouging further her shin and thigh

Calling for her, Usopp fired as fast as he could, missing and waiting until the last moment. Kuro was on top of him not a second after dealing with Nami, the ginger crawling away, but the dark captain only met smoke from a small bomb dropped just at the right moment, followed by a call: - " _ **Sure Kill,**_ _**Explosive Star**_!"

Unfortunately, the attack splashed harmlessly on the 'Bezan Black', Kuro too fast for Usopp to aim correctly. When the smoke settled, Kuro was standing up in a hunched-up position, swaying as if drunk, and looking down, much to the panic of his crew: - "T-t-the captain's Out of the Bag attack! W-Wait, c-captain K-Kuro"

"You almost spoil my plans. After three years of planning. And you expect any sort of _mercy_?" - He muttered: - "Jango, get out. Get to the manor. Hypnotise Kaya, and kill her. _Before I kill you~_ "

" _ **Out of the Bag**_ "

Kuro disappeared. Then the scar appeared

A huge swath of the cliffside was cleaved, as if they were made of paper

"Oh fuck!" - Then a huge swath of the stuck pirates was cleaved

"W-what the hell!?" - Usopp was baffled with the senseless violence. So was Zoro, but he paid attention to what the pirates were saying; apparently, Kuro's greatest strength on the battlefield was his sheer speed, known as the Pussyfoot Manoeuvre, allowing him to move so fast that even Kuro himself couldn't see what was happening around him, the pirate captain striking both friend and foe, uncaring of the difference

The shout was how Kuro identified Usopp's position, slashing blindly in his direction and almost striking him, then stopped, looking straight at the boy at his side. Said boy tried to whack him with his hammer

Usopp missed, Kuro simply leaning back, and stepped back in turn, also evading the slashes of the enemy. Kuro didn't stop, continuing walking forward and slashing at Usopp, who turned and ran away, taking aim and exclaiming: - " _ **Sure Kill, Smoke Star**_!" - And establishing another smokescreen

"This is starting to get annoying" - Stated Kuro

Zoro answered, finally passing over the field of traps and fallen pirates: - "Then let me entertain you. _**Demon Slash**_!"

Three swords met five, Kuro crossing a hand to intercept the attack; Zoro simply forced through, knocking the pirate captain backwards, the pirate hunter right at his heels. Swipe left, right, a twin slash with the blade on his mouth and the one on his right hand, stab forward with the white blade, setting up for another: - " _ **Demon Slash**_ "

Kuro blocked with the same hand, and regretted it, as with twin grunts, he was once again thrown back, as Zoro slashed through the blades, breaking all five swords. The black cat used the minute opening left by breaking his weapon to attempt to gouge the pirate hunter's head, but Zoro's katana on his mouth stopped the attack, parrying it and leaving Kuro wide open for the two blades on the green-haired man's hands

Grunting at the cuts opened on his chest, Kuro moved to backhand Zoro with his almost weaponless hand, the fragments of his claws still made for rather lengthy blades, the attack blocked by a raised nameless sword

The battle raged wordlessly, the only noise the clash of high-quality steel blades; and like all battles, it had to end. Kuro slashed forth with his full hand, but was forced to stop his attack because of a wide slash, then while stepping back, he stepped on a miserly little caltrop that had been dropped earlier, who flew away in the chaos and landed in the wrong place, at the wrong time

Zoro felt robbed of a great fight, but conceded he had to finish it. His opponent on the ground, he shouted: - " _ **Dragon Twister**_!" - And the spiral of blades and wind launched Kuro much like it launched Buchi, the man shouting as he was defeated

"N-n-no! T-this can't be!" - Were captain Kuro's last words, before unconsciousness claimed him

* * *

Jango felt a shiver going down his spine, for reasons unknown. He felt it after feeling a shiver go down his spine, for meeting a waving guy standing in front of the doors of the mansion, a wide grin promising pain should the pirate attempt anything. Said guy's head was _upside down_

"Fuck it, I'll just hide in the forest" - After all, Kuro needed him to hypnotise the lass. He would kill him only _after_ that

Then, looking through the trees, the green-haired man appeared, carrying a massive sack, followed by the tangerine-haired girl, who was limping thanks to a bandaged and bleeding foot, and the tanned boy, supporting the lass. His captain was nowhere in sight

Fuck

* * *

Luffy watched as the weird guy disappeared. Good, that he knew better than to cause trouble

Turning to his friends, he waved, moving to help Usopp and Nami: - "Zoro! Nami! Usopp! How was it?"

"Luffy!" - Called the pair he moved to help, through for different reasons:

"Luffy! Tell Usopp that I'm fine, and we should've pillaged their ship" - "Luffy! Tell Nami that she's _not_ fine and that she should get her leg checked!"

"Usopp, Nami is fine and you could have easily pillaged their ship. Nami, you're _mostly_ fine and _do_ need medical attention" - Her leg was still bleeding, the bandages stained red

Zoro started describing the fight, ignoring the pouting faces from the wounded lass and the tanned teen, Luffy's eyes shining at his 'awesome crew', the boy whooping with joy at the victory

"Alright! Wait, what happened with Kuro?" - Comically enough, Luffy was still in a commemoration position, one arm and leg raised as if jumping

All three who participated in the fight shrugged: - "No idea" - Last they seen, the man was just… left there, bleeding from his wounds, his crew slowly picking their own pieces and moving back to their ship

Luffy next asked about the sack that Zoro carried, the man answering that Nami wouldn't stop buggering them about her treasure on their little boat, which she feared would be stolen by the pirates if they were to simply leave it there

Luffy dealt with _that_ by praising her forward-thinking, as now they could simply abandon the little boat and never see it again, a statement that had all three blinking, as it _was_ true. Nami would claim it was her idea all along

The victory party that followed was incredibly subdued. Kaya, the hostess, was a frail young lady, so Luffy and crew ensured it all went as peaceful as possible; the fact that only the four, plus the wounded Merry and the children, were present helped with that. After all, who would believe that gentle and peaceful if pompous Klahadore was secretly the highly violent and cruel captain Kuro, executed three years ago? No; better let it all die, a little lie to protect the peaceful Syrup Village and said peace

And, on the next day, after a good night of sleep on Kaya's mansion, they met her

"She's a cute little caravel!" - Exclaimed Nami, her eyes shining alongside her crew, including Zoro. The Going Merry, as that was her name, was a little caravel with one main mast and a secondary one, with a sheep figurehead above a cannon; painted mostly white, the parts not painted were its wooden body, and darker keel

She was adorable, and the crew loved her from the moment they laid eyes on it

"This calls for a party!"

"Oi, Luffy; we just had one" - Usopp pointed out, but the boy with the straw hat didn't care

Turning to Kaya, he declared: - "This time call the entire village! Usopp is sailing away, and he needs a proper goodbye!"

 _This_ time, the party was a proper one, or as defined by Luffy, adequate; the village was weeping as they sent away their dear liar, waving their goodbyes as they heard his many tall tales, many which he promised to make true as he himself wept with emotion

Then Kaya stood in front of Usopp as he prepared to sail away, and words escaped the talkative teen. Mostly because the fair blonde kissed him, much to the approval, laughter and applause of the partygoers

* * *

AN; Happy new year! Yay! Goodbye 2016, hello 2017!

Woo, and the fireworks here in Santos were _beautiful_... then again, so they were last year

No reviews this time, so we can go straight to the canon changes, the most notable one being that we have our first pairing, Usopp with Kaya! It will be mostly be lived through letters and bounty posters, as Kaya will stay to be a doctor and Usopp will be the sniper of the Pirate King

Another important one is that Zoro, Nami and Usopp had their time to shine, as Luffy stays at Kaya's Manor to protect; Zoro easily trounces Sham and Buchi, never losing his swords, Usopp takes Luffy place, being hypnotized and stomping on the pirates, and even Nami having some fun, beating down a few of the pirates and joining Usopp in taking down Jango. Then Kuro appeared, and hurt our favourite thief... Usopp's trickery proceeded to save his life, and Zoro dealed with him too, breaking one of his weapons and sending him bleeding and flying

... Oh, and Gaimon happened pretty much as canon, just being a footnote into the story. Perhaps I'll flesh it over with a flashback, since the kindness Luffy displayed was, to me, what had Nami truly starting to like being a 'Straw Hat', but for now, it'll just be the beginning of a block

Anything else, anything else...? No? Okay, then again, happy new year and have a nice day!

Peace!


	6. Chapter 5 - The Baratier Ark, Part 1

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 5 - The Baratie Ark, Part 1

* * *

Usopp would keep blushing and touching his lips hours after the Going Merry departed from Gecko Island. Not helped by Luffy, who'd look at him with the biggest smile possible as he giggled, clearly approving of the tanned boy's luck

Said smile was so large that it was starting to unnerve the crew, so Nami, in hopes of distracting the teens, called both boys of the crew: - "Luffy! Usopp! Could you help me for a moment?" - It was mostly to take the pair's mind from the kiss, really, and also because a pirate ship wasn't complete until it had its Jolly Roger

"We need to paint our flag, don't we?" - "Oh yeah!"

The first attempt from Luffy was… an unmitigated disaster, truth be told. The least said about it, the better, as, as explained by Zoro: - "Well, a pirate flag _is_ supposed to cause fear and horror…" -

That it caused fear and horror from its own crew…

Sulking, Luffy almost agreed on the second flag, but recovered and bonked Usopp, who had sneakily painted his own flag, a skull with a long nose, a blue bandana, and over a crossed bone and slingshot, instead of the flag of the 'Straw Hat' pirates

Finally, to their captain's glee, the real flag was painted on the black flag and hoisted to its place, a simple grinning skull over crossbones, wearing a straw hat with a red band, much like Luffy's own. So satisfied with the result, Luffy outright ordered Usopp to paint the symbol on the sails, an order the tanned teen fulfilled with help of Zoro

Luffy, now, sat on his personal 'throne', the figurehead of the Going Merry, using his sticky powers to glue himself to it and not risk falling. He felt much more grown up now, as the captain of his own ship, and dressed to match, a red cardigan, closed, under his fancy red and gold coat, complemented by khaki pants, black shoes, and his ever-present straw hat

Much to his confusion, Nami also changed her shirt, and from where said clothes came from and where her old clothes ended were as much a mystery as her staff's hiding spot; she now wore a pink shirt with white linings

Usopp kept his outfit, since he was just now introduced, and so did Zoro, because he only had his one set of clothes, really, and was unwilling to borrow one from his captain. Then again, said captain was at least two sizes too small for the green-haired man

As they sailed towards their next destination, Luffy saw, from the corner of his eyes, a rock, in the middle of the sea, as he turned to watch it, one of the cannons of the Going Merry also entered his field of vision. Thus, his current idea: - "Hey, Usopp! Do you know how to use the cannons!?"

From his position on the deck, where he was tinkering with his pellets, Usopp scratched his head: - "Yeah, I know, why?"

"Can you teach me?" - "… Sure! Why the hell not?"

Why the hell not revealed himself a few hours later. For starters, as a demonstration, Usopp proceeded to snipe the rock with the very first shot, much to Luffy's pleasure and Usopp's own surprise; followed by a few minutes of carrying cannonballs and gunpowder and firing them over the sea, Luffy trying to hit the debris of the rock as it floated away

Then a sizable boat emerged from said debris, much to the pair's surprise, which turned into horror as they realized they had been firing at it, not helped by Zoro recognizing it from his own days as a bounty hunter

Thus, the 'Straw Hat' crew met Johnny and Yosaku, begging forgiveness for almost killing the pair, and by treating the ill Yosaku, who had been resting at the rock, much to the crew's shame and bad luck. At least they were forgiven, as the limes stored on the boat went into treating Yosaku, who was suffering from a severe case of scurvy

Johnny had tanned skin, a tattoo reading the kanji 'Umi' on his left cheek, short black hair, and sunglasses; he was dressed in a violet shirt under a blue jacket and off-white pants, with a sword with the blade broader the further away from the hilt resting at his waist

Yosaku was fair skinned, with a red headgear over his shaved head, a black shirt over a green coat, and plaid yellow shorts, and carried at his waist a sword practically identical to his partner

The pair was a team of bounty hunters, that at one point had Zoro as a member. The two still held great respect for him too, referring to him as 'Zoro-bro', which was why perhaps they accepted Luffy and Usopp's apology so easily

The lime juice that helped Yosaku recover from his sorry state also helped, the pair thus referring as the crew as 'bros' or, in Nami's case, 'sis', much to the ginger's annoyance

"Shows the importance of culinary on the sea, I suppose" - Remarked Usopp, after the entire confrontation died up, and the crew plus guests started to relax, getting a hum from Luffy

"I've decided" - He said: - "We need a cook. Hey, Johnny! Know a place where we can find a cook?"

As Nami declared her approval of the idea, remarking that nutrition was indeed important for one's health, the tanned bounty hunter, after thinking, nodded: - "Yeah! Close to here is the Baratie, a… special~ restaurant; you should be able to find a sea cook there"

"Yosh! Then, Nami! Straight ahead to the Baratie!"

"And Zoro!" - And as the crew moved to their posts, Johnny approached the swordsman and spoke: - "It is just rumours, but some say that 'Hawk-Eyes' himself sometimes appear there"

The single signal that Zoro heard that was the widening of eyes, who soon returned to normal. Nodding, the green-haired man moved to his position, helping Usopp with the sails, as the guests ensured everything was tied up

* * *

One thing that Johnny didn't mention, on purpose, was that the Baratie was a floating restaurant

The ship was massive; and needed to be, to serve as many clients as possible. Painted a blue-green colour and with a fish figurehead slash front-piece, it was a beautiful creature, if slightly unusual, due to the position of the masts, at each tip of the ship

So distracted they were by the beauty in front of them, that they didn't even realize the other massive ship besides their little caravel, until the captain of said ship hailed them: - "Halt!"

The crew turned to face a pink haired man, wearing a white pinstriped suit over a blue shirt, a scar under his right eye, and what appeared to be knuckle dusters literally screwed to his knuckles: - "I am lieutenant 'Iron Fist' Fullbody of the marines! I demand you to identify yourself and the flag you fly under!"

"I'm 'Straw Hat' Luffy" - Answered calmly the crew's captain: - "Captain of the 'Straw Hat' pirates. We don't want conflict" - But they weren't afraid of ending one

With his eyes wandering to each member of the crew, they stopped over the guests, Johnny and Yosaku, who he recognized as bounty hunters that delivered some bounties: - "And you? What are you doing here? Captured, were you? Weaklings"

"Excuse me?" - "Who are you calling weakling!?" - And both of them jumped over to fight. Both of them were sent back, a punch each

"As I'm off-duty, I'd simply let you go, but your ship is an eyesore" - Declared Fullbody, making the crew as one frown: - "Men! Sink it!"

The men tried to prepare a cannon on the deck of Fullbody's ship, but were simply knocked out by two pellets coming from Usopp. Luffy also showed his displeasure, jumping over the ship and spinning to deliver a devastating kick that almost broke Fullbody's guard

The wind picked up, and Merry started to accelerate, being a much lighter and smaller ship, so Luffy, frowning, spoke silently: - "Don't you dare try again" - Before jumping over back to his ship, which was slowly going further away: - "So, how much 'till we reach the Baratie?"

"At the speed we're going? Some twenty minutes, Luffy" - Answered Nami

"Fine; I'll stay in the back then, in case the marines are insane enough to fire at us"

"Eh, Luffy-bro, aren't you pirates? What marine wouldn't fire?" - Pointed out Johnny, confused

Luffy, in turn, pointed at the rapidly approaching Baratie: - "A marine who wouldn't risk hitting an innocent ship" - He explained, the rest of the crew then realizing that a missed shot had the chances of hitting the floating restaurant

* * *

Reaching the Baratie, the crew and guest's eyes shined and mouths watered, even Nami forgetting manners for a moment to droll at the heavenly smells coming from the restaurant. The gang soon entered and were guided by one of the chefs to a table for six; by the time they were being served, Fullbody also entered the establishment, and was served alongside a beautiful young lady, in what appeared to be a date

They were the centre of attention of the restaurant, Fullbody a well-known and very respected marine in the area, and his date a beautiful blonde with red lipstick and dress, the couple clearly infatuated with each other and acting as such

Then the lieutenant tried to show off, making a guess about the wine; it backfired, as the waiter, who turned out to actually be the sous-chef of the Baratie, said he was wrong, much to the hidden laugher of everyone watching. To make matters worse, an insect appeared on Fullbody's soup, much to his loud annoyance and Luffy's confusion, who had seen him stomp on the bug: - "Waiter! What is this bug doing on my soup!?"

If he didn't want the insect on his soup, why smash and put it there?

The sous-chef might not be aware of that, but he was clearly fed up with the lieutenant's constant mistake: - "If I were to guess, the backstroke" - And much more laugher issued

"He's funny" - Remarked Luffy, grinning, paying attention to the cook. Blond hair, and black formal suit and shoes; not much more could be guessed, since his back was turned to the crew

Fullbody disagreed. Loudly

People screamed as the lieutenant crushed the table, his plate shattering upon impacting the floor; angry, the man stood up, demanding respect. The sous-chef was less than amused with the tantrum, remarking that just removing the bug would have made the soup edible

Fullbody further remarked he was a paying customer, and the cook's answer was to ask if he could eat money. The marine raised his fists, and~

"Goddammit Sanji! Boss! Sanji just killed another customer!" - Was promptly trounced, the cook bending over and performing a picture perfect vertical split, and crushing Fullbody's face with a single kick, before standing back like normal and holding the man's collar, preventing him from falling and, more importantly, ensuring Sanji could glare at him

"A-are you nuts! I-I'll sink- I'll sink this damn place!" - Damned Fullbody, making the fulminating glare from Sanji, somehow, become more severe

"Then I can't let you get out of here" - Releasing the marine, Sanji moved to kick the man now on the ground, but was stopped, other cooks rushing from the kitchen to hold him back

In the middle to the chaos, just to make it worse, a bleeding marine appeared at the door: - "L-lieutenant! T-the prisoner escaped! He a-already took down six men!"

Amidst the fearful mutterings, Fullbody, baffled, exclaimed: - "B-but we've been starving him since we caught him, three days ago!" - As he spoke, a fiery aura surrounded Sanji, but no one remarked on that: - "H-how could he escape!?"

"I-I don't know sir! I'm so-" - The apology was interrupted by a gunshot. Dressed in an open grey jacket with red serpents on each side over a green shirt, matching grey pants, red earrings, and a grey bandanna with blue stripes; his face was scruffy, with a slight moustache and beard and dark rings around his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for much more than the three days he spent as prisoner

Fullbody was now truly scared, a fear he hadn't even after being beaten by Sanji: - "I-Is t-that t-the power of one of Krieg's men" - He spoke drawing fearful mutters from the patrons

"Who?" - Asked quietly Luffy, receiving the answer from Yosaku: - "Krieg, also known as 'Foul Play' Krieg and 'the Pirate Fleet Admiral' Krieg"

"He's said to have a fleet of fifty ships under his command, and can easily be considered the strongest pirate of the East Blue, if only through sheer numbers" - Continued Johnny

The man… was easily defeated; Luffy was left scratching his head, when, after revealing himself penniless and threatening him with a gun, Patty, a shaved and muscular cook dressed in a navy shirt and shorts of the same colour, with a pink ascot, white apron, white rope around his heads, and two hearts tattooed on his left arm, simply smashed the man aside, punted him a little, and threw him away like old trash

Then Luffy saw the sous-chef, who already had his interest, wander into the kitchen with his eyes firmly where the man was dumped. An idea formed on the straw hat covered head, and he stood up, excusing himself to his crew

* * *

Luffy couldn't contain his grin, his suspicions correct

The sous-chef, Sanji, had gone to the kitchen and prepared a plate full of simple, but filling rice, just what a man needed after starving for gods knew how long

And Gin, as he discovered was the man's name while eavesdropping, ate everything, crying in happiness and thankful for the meal. The old owner of the establishment, a blond man in a traditional cook's uniform with a magnificently tall hat and with an equally magnificent moustache, appeared, Sanji didn't hesitate to discard all proof that the man might have eaten there without paying

That was when Luffy revealed himself, jumping up to speak with the head of the restaurant: - "Hey"

"Hey yourself. What are you doing here?"

"You're the boss of the restaurant, right? What do I need to get the blond down there as my cook?"

"What?" - Said blond clearly heard the request

"You request the sous-chef service, that's it" - "Nononono, I meant, I want him for my ship"

" _You request the sous-chef service, that's it_ " - Repeated the head-chef: - "My chefs only quit or are fired; and if they quit, it was because they wanted to"

"Really? Woohoo! Hey, Sanji! Join my crew!" - Declared Luffy, making Sanji blink, as Luffy himself blinked in turn

Sanji's face was… mostly normal, if with one side covered; the curly eyebrow on the exposed left side, resembling a target, however, was anything but. And the young man wondered how did the boy, who was at the top of the ship, disappeared and reappeared in front of him so fast

"What!?"

Luffy then went into captain mode, sitting cross-legged in the rails: - "I, Monkey D. Luffy, would like you, Sanji, to join the 'Straw Hat' pirate crew as the ship's cook"

"So, what do I need to convince you?" - It didn't stop Luffy from grinning like a loon, however, as he waited for the answer

Sanji blinked again, bemused with the attention: - "… Why me?" - Then he though better, waving a hand in front of him: - "Don't answer that; I'd still answer no"

"Oh, come on! You're a good cook, and you cooked for Gin just because he needed" - Sanji and Gin flinched, and both looked up at the head-chef, who just kept gazing at the encounter: - "Either you come with us now or I'll stay here 'till I can convince you later"

"Excuse me" - Interrupted Krieg's man, raising his hand: - "But I have to ask; if you're in search of a cook, your crew isn't quite big, right? What is your objective? Your plans"

"Counting him-" - "Oi!" - "-We have five people, and what else would be a true pirate's objective?" - Answered Luffy with a grin

"I'm going to be the Pirate King"

Shivers went down Gin's spine. Shivers went down _everyone's_ spine, really: - "With such surety, I couldn't convince you to think otherwise, right? Your funeral" - He muttered, making Luffy laugh. The boy with the straw hat outright guffawed when the grey wearing man turned to the formal blond beside him, and wished him good luck, much to Sanji's exasperation

"S-so, shi~, so, I'll be with my crew Sanji! We'll talk more later!"

"O-oi, you monkey!" - But it was too late, Luffy already returning inside, leaving Sanji behind with the Krieg's man, even the head-chef having disappeared. Even Gin soon departed, taking a life boat and sailing away, and leaving Sanji alone with his cigarette

With a sigh, he decided to just ignore everything. The restaurant was full, and the food wouldn't prepare itself

* * *

The very same day, Luffy kept his word. As the restaurant was shooing the clientele to close its doors, the captain of the crew sneaked his way in, much to the cooks' annoyance, especially Sanji's

The entire week, the boy with the straw hat would request the sous-chef special, and every day, he'd use the opportunity to chat with the blond, who was unable to resist answering. Luffy quickly deduced that, like Nami, something about his home kept him firmly anchored, even though Sanji actually liked them and would agree to come with them, if not for said anchor

Not even Nami pouting cutely could convince him!

Through he couldn't deduce what. Zeff, the head-chef, was rude and kept calling Sanji 'Eggplant', and every else seemed to dislike the blond, for he was an unrepentant flirt, speaking sweet nothings to every young lady that appeared. It was all appearance, though, reminding him somewhat of himself and Garp, a love expressed through kicks. At least no one was younger than ten years-old…

At least the food was good, so said entire week wasn't a complete waste. And it was about to get more exciting

The crew was inside, eating and laughing as Usopp sulked. He was aware he was the weakest of the crew, but to be weaker than _Nami_ brought a frown that he couldn't quite explain

"Take it as motivation to get stronger, Usopp, shishishi" - Said Luffy, noting he hadn't even poked his food: - "Say, what is all the commotion?"

Said commotion was caused by a massive warship approaching the Baratie, a ship with the skull and crossbones with an hourglass on each side of the skull. Said ship looked like it went through a hurricane and into a mountain, though

"T-t-t-that's t-t-the D-Dreadnaught S-Sabre!" - Somebody shouted: - "T-t-that's K-Krieg's f-f-flagship!" - Somebody else commented

Fear gripped the establishment, even as the people realized the state of the ship, many fearing Krieg came for revenge for the mistreatment of his crewmember. At least, most people were gone, with a smattering of drunken and reckless guests, the 'Straw Hat' pirates and the cooks of the Baratie remaining, the others departing, taking their ships and running away as far as possible

Speaking of ships, Luffy reminded himself that the Merry was completely defenceless: - "Nami and Usopp, take the Merry and keep watch from afar, and prepare to bombard if needed. Zoro will signal you"

"Yes, Luffy" - Answered the crew

To the surprise of many, Krieg himself appeared, slamming the door open, being carried by Gin in person. Krieg was a tall and muscular man, and had short grey hair with prominent sideburns, and a gauze wrapped around his head; he was dressed in a yellow shirt with black horseshoe spots, under a big black fur-lined cloak, alongside lavender pants and black shoes

And he was starving. He was _begging_ for food, for him and his men, which most of the cooks refused; even Gin's claim that they had money and his 'Don' bowing down on his knees didn't move the cooks, who much preferred to call the marines and just sink whatever remained of the crew in their derelict ship

Luffy grinned, however, as Sanji, again, approached and gave another plate of filling rice, much to the shock of his fellows: - "S-Sanji! Take that plate away from him! Fast, before-"

Luffy frowned, as Carne, a brown-haired chef with brown hair, unshaved face, the usual clothes and black sunglasses, shouted, and blinked in shock as he understood the warning, Krieg thanking Sanji by clotheslining him, launching the blond into the central staircase of the Baratie

"'D-Don'! What, gah!" - Even Gin was shocked, the man questioning his boss and simply being backhanded away, said boss uncaring for his underling

"T-that fiend" - Muttered Carne: - "He's like that. First a marine, who killed his own boss and deserted, then formed a fleet of fifty ships and over five thousand men, using dirty tricks like flying white flags and throwing poisonous bombs over villages"

"'Foul-Play' Krieg; worthy of the title" - Spat Patty: - "Sanji always had a soft heart. _I_? I'm a cook of the Baratie, and _I_ have something special for… _troublesome customers_ "

And from a hidden compartment, forced open by Sanji's body, who already was standing up and lighting a cigarette, Patty pulled a massive gun, shaped like a shrimp, of all things: - " _ **Meatball Special**_!" - He shouted, firing the weapon, the explosion drawing shouts and screams of surprise as it demolished the entrance of the Baratie

"The boss will be angry that I broke the doors" - Muttered Patty, the other chefs saying it wouldn't matter, since he _did_ got Krieg

He didn't

With a roar, Krieg revealed himself amidst the smokescreen, saying the 'desserts' sucked, and opening several hatches on what was revealed to be armour hidden under his now destroyed shirt, his cloak serving as cape. From said hatches, many weapons poked out, and with a movement from his fingers, all fired, the chefs diving to evade, many being wounded, even if they were only scratches, the remaining customers finally gaining back their sense and running away too

Once again, the 'Don' demanded that the cooks prepared a meal for his men, one hundred starving on the remnants of the Dreadnaught Sabre. The cooks once again denied, well aware that only them could save the pirates, and unwilling to serve him, many pre-emptively pointing guns and polearms at Sanji to stop him from going to the kitchen

He didn't need to. Zeff himself descended the broken stairs, carrying a massive sack, which he proclaimed was enough food to feed the one hundred men. Then Krieg revealed who Zeff was: 'Red-Leg' Zeff, called such because his kicks left him bathed in his enemies' blood

Luffy could understand why such a man would stop being a pirate, considering he had a peg-leg now; Krieg further revealed that the head-chef sailed through the Grand Line for one year, and probably had a way to defeat even fearsome Devil Fruits, which he would keep in a log or journal

Zeff, surprisingly enough, confirmed he had a journal of his time of the Grand Line, but rebuffed the request of the 'Don' of handing it over alongside the ship, the head-chef outright demanding that Krieg be gone at once after receiving the food. Said request was also ignored, Krieg promising that he'd return after feeding his men and would take the ship by force

"Very well. Patty! Carne! To your positions! Someone raise the fins of the ship! All to your places man, take your weapons or escape while you can!" - Declared Zeff, his men declaring the Baratie their home and answering with a roar of their own, taking what looked like eating utensils at the end of long shafts

"B-boss, why raise the fins? Wouldn't that just give the pirates more space to fight?" - "Yes, but then the restaurant itself will be left alone"

As the fins, massive wooden platforms built under the ship, rose into position besides the main body of the Baratie, the cooks and the two remaining 'Straw Hats' awaited in position, face-to-face with Krieg's ruined ship

Said ship was promptly cut in half in front of them, just as Krieg's pirates started to exult

"What the hell now!?" - "'Don'! 'Don' Krieg! He followed us! The 'Hawk-Eyed Man' followed us!"

Eyes widened, Zoro's particularly, as they heard the call from the Dreadnaught Sabre, the ship split in two, falling down almost perfectly in two places

"Who?" - Luffy, of course, had no idea of who 'Hawk-Eyes' was

"Dracule Mihawk, 'the Hawk-Eyes', 'the Greatest Swordsman in the World'" - Answered Zoro, starting to sweat: - "And my objective"

* * *

AN: There's a damn good reason for why it took so long. First, I'm on vacation at the moment, away from home, and everyday going to a different place, so less time to write. Case in point, today I spent on Hot Park on Goiânia

The second~


	7. Chapter 6 - The Baratier Ark, Part 2

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 5 - The Baratie Ark, Part 2

* * *

" _What the hell now!?" - "'Don'! 'Don' Krieg! He followed us! The 'Hawk-Eyed Man' followed us!"_

 _Eyes widened, Zoro's particularly, as they heard the call from the Dreadnaught Sabre, the ship split in two, falling down almost perfectly in two places_

" _Who?" - Luffy, of course, had no idea of who 'Hawk-Eyes' was_

" _Dracule Mihawk, 'the Hawk-Eyes', 'the Greatest Swordsman in the World'" - Answered Zoro, starting to sweat: - "And my objective"_

* * *

The cooks shouted in surprise, at seeing the massive galleon being cut to pieces. Many wondered what sort of weapon could do that, then they realized, on the back of Dracule Mihawk, the massive sword in the shape of a cross

Luffy watched, as 'the Greatest Swordsman in the World' approached. Tall and lean, with a black coat with long sleeves coloured wine and with a flowery pattern, exposing his muscular chest with a crucifix necklace, alongside light purple pants tucked in a pair of boots; the most attention calling was perhaps the wide-brimmed hat, with a massive white plume affixed to it, and the golden, attention calling eyes under it

What was most notable for Luffy, however, was that he was on an itty-bitty raft, shaped like a coffin, and big enough for only one person, with two candles burning with green flames and a relatively large mast, shaped like a crucifix, with a black sail

"He sails the Grand Line in _that_?" - Muttered the boy, unheard by the crowd, who watched in awe as 'Hawk-Eyes' moved, swinging what turned out to be a massive sword from his back to deflect shots from a pirate amidst the debris

"Zoro, be care-… Zoro? Where did he go?" - "He's ahead of us, bro" - "Eh?" - Indeed, the swordsman of the 'Straw Hats' already had moved forward, standing on the biggest piece of debris, waiting for Mihawk to pass him

Zoro already had his swords in place, one in each hand, his white one in his mouth; yet, he somehow called over Mihawk: - "'Hawk-Eyes'! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Hm? And who might you be?" - The 'Hawk-Eyes' looked decidedly unimpressed, as if bored out of his mind

"I am Roronoa Zoro; one of many contending for your title"

Now Mihawk just looked exasperated, even as he exited his coffin boat: - "And what makes you different from everybody else?"

Zoro grinned wildly in answer: - "I'll win"

Mihawk, in spite of his stoic attitude, actually looked ready to yawn; so he did worse: - "What is the meaning of this!" - And drew, from his crucifix necklace, an itty-bitty dagger

"You don't use a cannon to hunt a rabbit, do you?" - Asked Mihawk, gaining only a growl from Zoro: - "I'd like to apologize, but I have no smaller blade with me"

"Grr~, then don't you dare regret your death for underestimating me!" - And Zoro, angered, charged: - " _ **Demon Slash**_!"

"Hell yeah! Zoro-bro's signature attack!" - "It always, always wor~… ked?"

To the surprise of those watching, especially Johnny and Yosaku, Mihawk blocked the attack: - "W-what?"

Blocked and deflected it, his tiny dagger stopping the three blades, stabbing on the singular spot where all three blades met as they were about to cross over. Zoro tried to frantically attack, flipping over with a shout of: - " _ **Wolf Blade Stream**_!"

That attack was also parried, and so was the next, and the next, Mihawk defending strikes wide and narrow and varied from the green-haired swordsman, much to his shock: - "I-it can't be~; the difference between us shouldn't be so big!"

"Learn, little frog on his little well, said difference" - Mihawk heard, and commented on the slowly despairing swordsman's own words: - "The weakest of the seas, against the greatest of all world"

"Tiger-" - The last attack was not to be

"Zoro!" - "Zoro-bro~!" - Mihawk's dagger, the minuscule dagger, more an eating utensil than an actual weapon… was stabbed hilt deep over Zoro's heart

A beat, a pause, a second of silence, which felt like an hour, passed

"Why not step back?" - Finally, Mihawk broke the silence

Zoro outright chuckled: - "S-step back… and admit defeat…?"

With a gasp, feeling his heart beat and touch the sharp blade, he still laughed: - "I'd rather die"

Mihawk just raised an eyebrow, but even he admitted: - "Impressive"

"Such resolve is rare to see nowadays" - He continued, pulling his dagger, Zoro almost faltering without the extra weight: - "For that, I'll give you the highest honour to a swordsman"

"Heh, really?" - "For your great will, I, 'Hawk-Eyes' Mihawk, shall take you down with my black blade, Yoru!"

Zoro stared, glee filling his heart. Now or never

Both swordsmen standing in front of the other; Zoro finished the fight by holding his swords in front of himself, forming an upside-down triangle with the sword on his mouth, and spinning both swords on his hands, at high speed, the sword on his mouth also posing to cut:

" _ **Three Swords Style,**_ _**Ultimate Technique, Three Thousand Worlds**_!"

Mihawk finished the fight with a single nameless slash

Mihawk won

The blades on Zoro's hands shattered, and a great cut opened on his front: - "I lost"

Luffy blinked. His swordsman lost. He almost let Johnny and Yosaku slip from his grasp, having latched on the pair to stop them from interfering on the fight

Then, his white sword re-sheathed, and… his arms wide open, he turned to face Mihawk: - "What are you doing?"

"Wounds on the back are a shame to a swordsman, aren't they?" - Answered Zoro with an easy grin of acceptance

Mihawk, for once, actually grinned: - "Spoken like a true swordsman"

Even as he slashed forward, cleaving through Zoro's chest

"Zoro!" - This time, Luffy didn't held back Johnny and Yosaku. Mostly because he himself was already halfway towards Mihawk: - "You bastard! _**Candy Candy Cannonball**_!"

The ballistic teen didn't even faze Mihawk, who simply stepped aside, allowing Luffy to scar the wooden platform that was once one of Krieg ship's deck

"Your friend is not dead yet" - Commented 'Hawk-Eyes', actually making the boy with the straw hat pause, as he looked at where Zoro was being fished by Johnny and Yosaku: - "You're Shanks' protégée, aren't you? Say, what is your dream?"

Luffy eyebrows knotted together, confused by the question that came, apparently, out of nowhere: - "To be the Pirate King"

Mihawk outright snorted: - "That is more challenging than even my title, you know that?"

"So what?" - "Ku, kukukuku, I say, the young man found a respectable captain"

"Roronoa Zoro!" - Called out Mihawk, leaving Luffy baffled, wondering how he learned the name: - "It's still too early for you to die"

"My name is Dracule Mihawk! Discover your true self, the true world, become stronger! However long it may take, I shall await you at the top. Surpass this sword! Surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!"

Silence on the battlefield, as the declaration of 'the Greatest Swordsman in the World' washed over them

Then, a voice shouted, cracking with pain but still strong: - "L-Luffy!"

"Z-Zoro!?" - "Zoro-bro! Don't strain yourself!"

"I'm s-sorry!" - Shouted 'the East Blue Greatest Swordsman': - "I'm weak! B-But I'll get stronger!"

"I'll never be defeated, ever again! 'Till I surpass 'Hawk-Eyes'!" - His voice weakened, his wound great and painful even to look at, as he whispered: - "Is that okay, captain?"

His captain still heard the whisper, and grinned, almost laughing: - "Sure!"

* * *

And so, Mihawk turned his back on everyone, taking his coffin boat and sailing away in the chaos and confusion. He didn't do so unnoticed, however: - "Hey, 'Hawk-Eyes'!"

Krieg was standing, tall and proud, as he called for 'the Greatest Swordsman in the World': - "What about me? Didn't you come all the way to here for my head?"

"Actually, it was just to pass the time. I had my fill of fun today" - Replied Mihawk truthfully, making 'the Don' frown

"Well, I certainly hadn't mine!" - He shouted, once again opening the many hatches of his armour, revealing his hidden weapons. Ignoring the cries of warning of his crew, Krieg fired, and Mihawk just looked at him with disdain, before the swordsman cut the water, creating a huge wave between the two. By the time the waters calmed, Mihawk was already gone, the unspoken message clear: Krieg wasn't even worth killing

Angered, Krieg declared his plan to his crew out loud, declaring that Zeff had once sailed the Grand Line, and thus knew the secret to survive against monsters like Mihawk, and had them in store with him, in a journal. By taking the seemingly harmless Baratie as their own boat, and the weakness of the Devil Fruit users exposed, they'd be invincible! And soon, he, Krieg, would be the Pirate King!

First came confusion, as Luffy couldn't understand what Devil Fruits had with anything, failing to understand that 'the Don' believed Mihawk had one. Then came, of all things, mirth, because there was no way anyone other than Luffy would be the Pirate King! Especially not a weakling that hid behind armour and weapons

And as one brave soul questioned whether it was a good idea to go back to the insane Grand Line, Luffy shouted: - "Yo, Krieg! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

A beat. Luffy started to laugh at the stares, stretching himself and preparing for battle, since there was no other way; Krieg had to be stopped, or he might lose his cook! The man himself was speaking some inane babble, but Luffy ignored it in favour of checking his surroundings

Most of the pirates were either in the water going towards the Baratie, the rest about to dive, but all had stopped at his declaration. A bullet grazing his cloak reminded him of Krieg, who kept shouting something, but Luffy wasn't paying attention still, this time ignoring even the pirates to search for Sanji, finding him amidst the cooks' formation

"Oi! Sanji!" - "No!" - "You won't _not_ join my crew? Great!" - Sanji palm just met his hand, the 'Straw Hats' captain laughing: - "Shishishi, kidding, kidding! Just keep guard of the Baratie, okay? This fight is mine!"

And as he spoke, Luffy grinned viciously at Krieg, who, in an admittedly impressive move, just glared back. The glare turned into pure fear, as Luffy became a blob of candy, stretching his arms and crying out: - " _ **Candy Candy Cannonball**_!"

Laughing at the 'what the hell!' from the pirates, Luffy spun in mid-air until his legs were pointed towards Krieg, and followed up with a shout of: - "And _**Lance**_!" - And while the flying kick wasn't as long as when he fought Kuro, he had the added momentum of his flight behind it, almost sending Luffy through the floor of the wooden deck and into the waters below, the teen sticking himself to the point of impact and dragging himself up, ignoring the hail of bullets striking his amorphous form

The following up stakes were a little harder to ignore, mostly because they pierced through him and damaged the floor, but nothing that a run, in Krieg's direction, didn't solve. Krieg evaded the clothesline by ducking under it, swinging his fists at the mass of half-candied Luffy, and discovered that was a bad idea when one of his fists sunk into him, and he was unable to remove it

Luffy exploited the situation, punching once, twice, three times, each punch connecting with the ensnared pirate, who grunted with each punch, moving but snapping back in place. The 'Straw Hats' captain finally released his opponent, and spun in place to deliver a devastating kick, launching Krieg into a miraculously standing mast, which didn't survive the impact, falling straight into the extended fin of the Baratie

Meanwhile, both the cooks and the pirates of Krieg were too busy watching the fight to watch each other, not even realizing that they should be fighting each other. They only started to realize so when 'Foul-Play' drew one of his shoulder plates, pointing it down, at the same time he covered his face with a gas mask: - " _ **M. H. 5**_ "

"Holy shit! Captain just fired his poison bomb at himself!"

* * *

Sanji felt an unnatural shiver go down his spine, upon hearing the shout of the pirate. The cruel looking purple smoke screen hadn't moved at all after forming, covering completely both Luffy and Krieg

Without the big fight distracting them, the blond cook decided to start his own fight, punting aside a few pirates before they recovered. The fight began in earnest then, the marauders taking offense and turning at the cooks, who had seen Sanji in action and were expecting the charge

With Sanji leading, the cooks found themselves actually winning, even though the pirates were stronger than average; but with the blond sous-chef kicking aside anyone who faced his allies and were beating them, the fight turned around in favour of the harassed cooks; it helped that Patty and Carne soon appeared with the head of the Baratie, which was actually a boat

"Mackerel Head Number One, go!" - They called, bombarding the battlefield with cannonballs from the three cannons present on the mouth of the fish, whooping as the pirates were forced to retreat further. The Mackerel Head Number One charged forward, running over a few hapless pirates too close to the fin and in the path of the combat boat

As it turned around for another charge, it struck something and stopped, much to the confusion of the drivers, who shouted in panic as their weapon was tipped over, flipped upside-down, as a fat man in a heavy looking circular metal plates decorating his body, with pink pearl-like objects in the middle, and another pearl used as a helmet, rose from the ocean, standing at the wooden fin

"Pahaha, are you really having troubles with a bunch of cooks? Then let me, 'Iron Wall' Pearl, deal with them! Pahahaha" - He said, charging at the lines of cooks, being intercepted by Sanji, who kicked at the armour. Pearl released a surprised grunt, as he was actually forced back by it: - "What? You think you stand a chance?"

The blond didn't deign to give him an answer, instead delivering a high kick that was blocked, following it up with a spinning high heel kick that struck Pearl's face, then had the young man hand-standing, spinning in place as he delivered a series of kicks: - " _ **Party Table Kick Course**_!"

The strikes weren't strong enough to dent the metal armour, but didn't need to, as Pearl, dizzy with the successful head shot, was easily pushed back, tripping on his own legs and falling backwards - "W-w-what!?" - "We're not just cooks, shitty _bastard_ "

Hastily standing up, Pearl moved a finger under his nose, and was shocked and horrified to find blood, turning to face Sanji: - "We are the cooks of the Baratie! Now stand up! I haven't finished kicking your ass!"

"D-d-dangerous" - Muttered the massive man: - "D-a-a-angerous! I'm in danger! I'm in danger!" - He then started to shout, repeating himself over and over and banging the shields on his hands like cymbals, finishing with a scream of: - " _ **Fire Pearl 'Lucky You'**_!"

Then he _exploded_. Not literally, thank goodness, but his pearls were now on fire, pale blue flames of great intensity, as he launched various small pearls coated in flames, most striking the fin deck and his own comrades, but also some hitting the cooks and flying towards the Baratie. Silence then reigned, as Zeff, peg-leg Zeff, kicked out with said peg-leg, and the pure wind of the kick was enough to snuff the flames

Pearl himself wasn't stopped, still panicking at the blood loss, even if it was a relatively tiny injury, banging his shields as he cried out: - " _ **Fire Pearl Surprise**_!" - And punched with all his might at Sanji, who simply ducked and grunted at the heat, before simply extending his leg

Pearl, his heavy armour, and hefty shields, were sent flying, as the perfect vertical split revealed its power as a kick: - " _ **Anti-Manners Kick Course**_!"

Then Sanji dashed aside, as Gin, of all people, proceeded to smash the back of his flying fellow Krieg's man, crushing the shield on his back and sending him face-first into the extended deck

"He was going to end burning down the ship" - Explained the once starving man, shrugging his shoulders, facing his captain, who finally revealed himself from the poisonous smog, making Krieg grunt in grudgingly given approval

Sanji lighted a cigarette, took a deep drag, and glared: - "So, you are going to side with your captain"

"Of course, we just want the ship, Sanji; this can be solved just by standing aside"

Sanji's answer was only a snort. Taking the initiative, the smoker punt was met by the same weapon that practically broke Pearl in half, a tonfa with a heavy weight similar to a cannonball at the tip, said cannonball making Sanji grit his teeth at the resistance, but using it as a platform to launch himself backwards and away from a second tonfa, the weights of both weapons colliding with a lethal 'clang'

No more words were exchanged, no more words were needed, the pair starting their deadly dance, a kick blocked here, a weapon evaded with ease, the two equally matched in their different fighting styles, unable to find weaknesses on each other, at least at the beginning. As a matter of fact, Gin was just barely recovering from starvation

At least, so thought Sanji: - " _ **Poitrine Shoot**_!" - The kick, aimed at the chest, connected, but Gin didn't even register the strong attack, only barely pushed back and already moving to counter, having purposefully taken the attack to complete his own nameless one, smashing his tonfas together much like Pearl with his shields, and almost crushing Sanji's still extended leg

As it stood, Sanji still cussed out loud at the pain, the glancing hit still hurting a lot. An attempt to slam Gin's face into the ground was foiled by his weapons, and the blond found himself on the defensive, as 'the Ogre' started going for his legs, his crushing blows smashing the floor and destroying Sanji's footing, as he backpedalled hastily

The cooks could only watch, horrified, as the pirates jeered and mocked them, as Gin 'the Ogre', right hand of Krieg and _not_ a mere underling as they believed so long ago, slowly but surely demolished their sous-chef and strongest fighter. A lucky blow had Sanji tripping and on the ground, pinned under a tonfa as the other was spun on masterful hands, to deliver a blow that would surely kill a common man, but Sanji also saw something else

Gin was… hesitating?

The cigarette on Sanji's lips was sent flying, right into Gin's eyes, who blinked and flinched back, giving enough space for Sanji to dance out of the way of the hasty club and kick Gin, propelling himself further from his opponent, watching as 'the Ogre' just… stood there, on his knees

"Captain! I'm sorry~!" - Then, he cried out: - "I can't kill the man who saved my life!"

* * *

The best way Luffy could describe being wounded, was a horrid taste, that just so happened to be felt… not on his tongue. Venoms and poisons, on the other hand, reacted with his syrup body, turning it into something else and spreading that taste all over his body, as he experienced with a venomous viper he once had the very bad luck to meet; he also discovered he could 'shove' said toxic candy to the 'edges' of his body and basically sweat it, leaving a core of healthy syrup that was Luffy's body safely in the centre

So, under the cover of the smoke, he rolled away in a sphere of candy inside a ball of ruined syrup, tuckering himself in a nook of the fallen ship, resigning himself to hear the battle from his cover, until he had shed the toxic syrup that infected him. It left him mildly annoyed that he had to do so, as it made him appear to have lost the fight, as if a dirty trick like poisonous gas could defeat him

Then again, against anyone without a Devil Fruit that gave poison immunity or resistance, a point-blank poison gas bomb _would_ give practically an instant victory. Then again, that just reinforced to Luffy what he already thought of Krieg, that he was someone that depended too much from his weaponry and armour, and even with his admittedly impressive physical strength, anyone able to bypass his many toys would win

Then he heard Gin's cry, and he allowed himself to poke his head from its shell, discovering pleasantly surprised the poison had faded from the air, and that no one was paying attention to him

Through, instead of taking the opportunity to knock out Krieg, he decided to hear Gin out. The man might be an enemy, but Luffy liked him, as he seemed honourable and he did thank Sanji for the meal

"I-I'm sorry, captain, but I can't kill this man! P-please, please, let's… let's just let them be" - He spoke, nay, begged, for his captain to be merciful, tears on his eyes and still on his knees. Krieg didn't like that, at all

"Gin! Have you gone mad!? Has the hunger gotten to you!? Stop that nonsense and kill the bloody cook!"

"I can't, 'Don' Krieg! I-I want to obey, but I can't kill the first person outside of you to show me kindness!" - Wait, what? - "P-please, show mercy and spare the Baratie!"

"Enough Gin! If I knew a little mercy was all it took to subvert you I'd never have recruited you" - Now, that's just harsh: - "Cease your nonsense at once, or I'll kill you myself!"

Gin 'the Ogre', grown man and famed murderer with a bounty of five hundred thousand Belly, _wept_ , face on the deck, clearly unable to do so, Krieg having enough: - "Men! Treat Gin as if he was any other enemy! From now on that emotional _weakling_ is not part of our crew anymore! Am. I. Clear!?"

"Yes! Captain!" - "Now, that's just peachy"

Krieg turned around, his face a picture of horror, the pirates gaped in sheer shock alongside the cooks, as Luffy continued, singsongingly: - " _ **Candy~ Candy~ Devil~**_!" - He hadn't exactly sweated all the toxins, but he didn't quite need to; all he needed was to grow large arms and legs from his sphere, and turn himself into a four-limbed blob monster

"And _**Candy Candy Pistol**_!" - Continued the bubble, the eyes seeing everything with a tinge of red, the arm launched forward, too weak to wound as there was little momentum, instead sticking on Krieg, who hastily had covered himself with a cloak of ineffective spikes: - "Followed by _**Cannonball**_!"

The impact of the heavier and denser Luffy sent Krieg flying, going over the ocean and hitting the edge of the fin of the Baratie with a grunt, from where he smirked, pointing his hand at the mast that Luffy's form was using to reach Krieg back. From the wrist of 'the Don' came fire, a long-ranged flamethrower that engulfed the fallen mast, Luffy bouncing up and over the flames, but falling right on the burnt structure

"Ouch! Hot hot hot hot!" - Jumping again, this time Luffy moved to deliver a proper punch, his shout of: - " _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!" - Delivering a much stronger punch, launching him through the deck and under it, Luffy retracting his hand and bouncing as he struck the deck, launching himself as far up as he could while his hands glued to the deck

Krieg broke through the deck, and met his downfall: - " _ **Candy Candy Press**_!" As Luffy let go, the captain of the 'Straw Hats' ploughing through the recently opened hole, striking Krieg's head, which sunk on his shoulders. As 'the Don' gurgled in agony, he sunk, his neck broken, no one hearing his drowned screams of denial and pain as he went to the depths of the East Blue

* * *

After killing Krieg, all he needed was to viciously glare at the pirates with one of his wide grins, and they were sent packing, rowing the debris of the Dreadnaught Sabre away from the cooks and of the Merry, much to the celebration of said cooks

Said celebration died out swiftly when Luffy had to eat, to recover the energies used to sweat away the toxins of Krieg's MH5, and practically emptied the ladder of the Baratie. By the time his crew, Johnny and Yosaku returned, he had barely started, and by the time a cook with medical training finished stitching Zoro together, Luffy still had halfway to go, eating all food put in front of him

It wasn't much of a problem, though. The Mackerel Head Number One was not only an emergency battle station, it also was a fishing trawler, so the restaurant ladders could be spared, as long as Luffy accepted to eat only seafood. Considering he wasn't even bothering to taste the food, just recovering from the poisoning, he didn't mind much

So busy he was with filling his gut, he almost didn't notice Usopp's question: "Hey, Luffy; what do we do now?"

A fork stabbed down, stopping the 'Straw Hats' captain from stealing from Usopp plate, even as the boy answered. It was untranslatable, however, as he spoke with his mouth full, earning himself a slap from Nami: - "Don't speak with your mouth full"

Gulping down the food on his mouth, Luffy answered properly: - "Sorry, Nami. Well, the plan is the same: convince Sanji to come with us. Which reminds me; hey, Gin! Want to join!?"

The group of 'what?'s that followed rather amused the boy, none more than the one from 'the Ogre' himself, who was sullenly squatting on a windowsill, from which he fell, looking at Luffy upside down with a comically baffled expression

All expressed their confusion, except Nami, who looked at the fallen man as he righted himself up, and asked: - "Isn't he one of Krieg's? Why would we want him to join us?"

So Luffy told him of Gin's mercy towards Sanji and why, revealing the now blushing 'Ogre' that he was an honourable man, in spite of his captain's disdain for such things. He further explained that he stomped, literally, Krieg's head, and the man had sunk and hadn't come back: - "Either he's the champion at holding his breath, or he's dead" - He jested

Much to Gin's surprise, Nami just nodded, looking at him with a smile that practically said 'welcome aboard', as if that was enough: - "… That's it? He invites me and everyone accepts? What if I don't want to go?"

"Do you not? Oh~, is that Salmon?"

Feeling sweat drop from his head, Gin had to agree; he actually felt tempted by the offer. But they were going to the Grand Line, and that place _frightened_ him; the weather was… tolerable, if completely utter bonkers, but the people…

He had to think about it: - "Excuse me" - He said, as he exited the establishment, taking a deep breath of fresh ocean air

"He's something else, isn't he?" - "You can say that again!" - Soon, Sanji joined him, offering a cigarette that Gin gladly accepted, the pair destroying their lungs as the nicotine did its magic

Gin looked at the blond beside him, and identified him, not as the one that he fought, but: - "He wants you to go with him too, right?"

"Yup" - Sanji answered with a snort: - "If I hadn't said no, we'd be gone and the Baratie would've been easy pickings, did you know?"

The comment made Gin laugh, as he could see it; without the blond cook or the captain with the Devil Fruit, they would indeed be easy targets for the remnants of the Krieg's pirates. Though, seeing their luck had them meet one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea right as they started their journey into the Grand Line, there was a very good possibility that Zeff, crippled and once-pirate Zeff, would send them packing too

Pointing out such a fact also had Sanji laughing, the blond admitting such theory was probably true, as Zeff never really lost his touch, in spite of losing his leg, and was still as strong as he had seen during his childhood; it ended with Sanji sharing his meeting with Zeff and their dreams, and Gin in turn sharing his own past, being an orphan abandoned by all, with no prospects of life, whose only talent was to beat the crap out of people

A talent only Krieg recognized; Gin had been one of his first men, joining the marines and deserting alongside the marauder, serving faithfully as his right-hand man and as commander of the first division of Krieg's pirates. And to just be thrown aside…

"You know, I'm thinking about accepting the offer"

Sanji just snorted: - "So what? Do I need to sign something? You're a shitty grown man" - He jested

"Nah, but it would be nice if you'd come with us" - "Not you too!"

This time, Gin was the one to snort: - "Do tell then, when are you going to search for the All-Blue?" - For that was Sanji's dream. The All-Blue was a miraculous sea, where the waters and fishes of all oceans of the world would meet, making it a paradise for sea cooks like Sanji and Zeff

Sanji spoke nothing. He, truth be told, did want to go with Luffy, his charisma attracting and warm to those he liked, almost as much a siren's call as Nami's beauty; but he also had a debt with Zeff, for saving his life when the pirate didn't need to

Perhaps it was time for a serious talk between the blond and his father figure

* * *

Nami was a patient woman. She had basically lived inside the world's biggest gilded cage since she was ten, a few more days wouldn't make a difference

That didn't stop her from looking at Luffy with the biggest kicked puppy eyes she could muster, as his negotiations to gain the crew a chef was simply taking _too bloody long_

So, hearing that Zeff and Sanji had a 'talk', which resulted in the demolition of the roof of the establishment and the pair hugging and weeping as they said goodbyes, the blond sous-chef finally agreeing to go with Luffy as the cook of the Going Merry, had the tangerine-haired girl bouncing in joy. Finally, it was her turn!

Nami lived a fairly normal life, an orphan adopted alongside her also adopted sister Nojiko by the ex-marine Belle-mère. It was… a content life, if particularly poor, the life of a farmer never agreeing with Belle-mère, in spite of her best efforts

Then Arlong 'the Saw', a sawshark fishman came along, and Belle-mère was killed in front of her, and she had to work for eight years as the cartographer of that bastard. No more, now; she had attempted poison, assassins, sabotage, and now she found the perfect 'assassin'. Though, Luffy might protest the term used, even if that was the function he was going to perform

Of the marines, the closest was the bastard Nezumi, who would more likely release Arlong to continue his reign of terror, thanks to hefty bribes, rather than actually arrest the fishman; easier to just get rid of Arlong permanently and if possible the corrupt marine than risk any of them causing more chaos and pain to her beloved home

And so, with Sanji waving goodbye to the Baratie cooks and Gin helping Usopp man the sails, Luffy looked at the suddenly solemn Nami, put a hand on her shoulder, and just nodded

They had a deal, and it was time for Luffy to do his part

* * *

AN: The second, is that my muse insisted that was a good point to stop the chapter. I already had given you all less than five thousand before, so I buckled down to sneak more, and here is the result, almost five dot five thousand words, added to the roughly over four thousand for almost ten thousand words of One Piece goodness

:)

We also had one review, from _**sudhush**_. Thanks for the message, and don't worry, there's plenty of Luffy fighting on this part of the chapter

And the differences from canon are twofold: With a different Devil Fruit, the fight between Luffy and Krieg was solved very different, being basically a stomp in Luffy's favour, even with the poisonous gas, which Luffy, while suffering a delay, is mostly imune to

That will make his _meeting_ with Magelan... interesting~

And second, Gin joins the crew! With his captain dead and his crew abandoning him, 'the Ogre' didn't had much of a choice; he's a pirate first and foremost, and a boss who is more likely to agree with him is just peachy

And to finish, also a little of Nami's backstory, and their plans to deal with them

That's it. Review and leave your comments, have fun, and hopefully you're still on vacation like me!

Peace!


	8. Chapter 7 - Fishbones

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 6 - Fishbones

* * *

The climate of the Going Merry was, in spite of the name of the ship, sombre and silent. Usopp didn't do his experiments, Luffy watched stoically forward, and Nami… hated every second of it

"You!" - Point to Usopp: - "Go back to being noisy!"

"You!" - To her captain this time: - "Go back to being funny!"

"And all of you" - This time, the lass pointed to no one, referring to the entire crew: - "Stop treating me like I'm made of glass, dammit!"

Usopp accidently broke one of his vials, the contents making a strangely beautiful brown fire when in contact with the Merry's deck, much to his despair, Luffy laughing his head off as the dark-skinned teen desperately danced over the flames to snuff them

"Ah~, Nami looks so lovely when she is annoyed!" - Meanwhile, a certain love-struck cook approached: - "I prepared for you a special _parfait_ of mango and tangerine, your favourite, my~ dear~!"

"Thank you, Sanji~" - "It was nothing~. Hey, you shitty bastards! There's grub on the table for you lot!"

"Yosh, wake up Zoro!" - "Hm?" - "Thanks, Sanji!" - "J-just let me deal with this fire!"

And so life went on the Going Merry, the jolly little caravel sailing towards Conomi Island, Johnny and Yosaku departing towards their own way back at the Baratie. The crew knew what waited for them, and knew too how important their mission was, as it would free their navigator and allow her to sail with them; but that didn't make them any less happy and free

Thus, as they reached the island, seeing a marine ship sailing away from Nami's homeland, the crew prepared to meet Nezumi, the pet rat of Arlong. All but Nami, who already knew him and didn't even want to see the traitorous bastard, hiding in her room as they crossed each other

"Shi shi shi shi, now, what does the tide brings?" - Spoke poetically Nezumi, as Luffy stared completely baffled, for the man did look like a rat, with whiskers on his tanned face, and a grey trench coat with a hood with rat ears: - "I don't recognize the flag, so I assume you're pretty new pirates, right?"

"Yup. It should be… roughly three weeks we've been sailing" - Confirmed Luffy, not bothering to introduce themselves until Nezumi did so

He'd also expected a fight, but didn't receive it: - "Well~, if I were you, I'd turn back. There are _monsters_ on the island, and I doubt you'd get out of it alive"

Blinking at the sheer contempt, Luffy realized that, perhaps, there was more to this Nezumi than just a corrupt officer. Or maybe he was racist; hard to tell

Still, the teen with the straw hat just smiled: - "Good; then we're on course"

And so, the 'Straw Hat' pirates sailed away, as the marines passed them by and… turned around? Yes, they did, making a U-turn and, as the crew reached the shores of Conomi, the marines were heading towards Arlong's fortress. Weird

At the same time Nezumi returned to Arlong Park, Usopp spying with a telescope the marine and two bodyguards being carried in a… pot? - "That's Hachi, he's easily the only one that is actually friendly to me. He might be the only one not racist" - Explained Nami, sullenly looking at what appeared to be the ruins of a village, all houses upside down and a massive trench in the middle

"Doesn't change the fact I want them all out of my island" - Turning to Luffy, she spoke: - "Captain! Stop here! It is a little further away but I don't want anything tracing us to home 'till we've dealt with Arlong"

Processing the wish, Luffy nodded, but asked: - "Sure, but did we pass your village already?"

"Gosa Village, this village, is at the tip the Conomi peninsula. Cocoyashi and Gosa form a triangle with Arlong Park" - Further explained the lass: - "We'll pass at the boarder of Cocoyashi but won't enter, just have the village on sight; then we go face Arlong, and free my home"

"Oh, alright. And then you'll join us?" - Asked further the captain, Nami watching him with a deadpan expression for thinking about her recruitment in such an important and serious time for her. Then again, she thought, as her gaze softened, that while rather smart, Luffy was also quite simple; trust him to not be able to read the mood

Nodding, the ginger agreed: - "Yes, Luffy, I'll join you in your journey" - Solemnly, she continued: - "Just deal with Arlong"

She squeaked then, as she felt Luffy slowly cover her with a hug, giving her all the time in the world to remove herself, but the girl was too surprised by it to do so, getting the hug and having a hand ruffle her hair, a pair of hands on her shoulders giving her only a smiling face to focus on: - "Don't worry, Nami; we will"

* * *

The girl was still softly blushing at the surprise of how gentle Luffy could be, as the village of Cocoyashi approached; she would only stop well after that, Cocoyashi just a barely seen place for the majority of the crew, Arlong Park in front of the gang as they discussed their… plan

It wasn't much, rather like the one they had against Buggy, yet even simpler, as this time it was even easier to find their target, having Nami who lived here for eight years

The entrance of the Arlong's base of operations was a gate with two thick metal doors. They did absolutely nothing to stop the crew, Luffy denting it with two punches, the third breaking the hinges and sending the slabs flying a short distance; and that was how Luffy introduced himself, Nami at his left, Zoro at his right, Usopp behind the swordsman and with Gin on the right flank, Sanji covering the left

"Oh my, what do we have here, Nami?" - Arlong 'the Saw' seemed unfazed by that, and was massive, easily two heads taller than Zoro and Gin, the tallest of the Straw Hats, with light blue scales in place of skin, with a tribal tattoo of a sun over his heart and one of his Jolly Roger, a tribal shark inside three semi-circles, on his left arm, with a long and angular jaw coupled with a saw-shaped nose as long as Usopp's

Dressed in a yellow open shirt with black explosion-like marks, green shorts held by a purple sash, with a brown hat with furry edges and sandals, he was also fairly decorated, with three golden chains, one over his tattoo and one on each ankle, finishing with what appeared to be rings or piercings on his webbed fingers, with gems decorating those last pieces

And about the question, Nami didn't answer, instead just looking at her ex-captain with clear contempt, making the sawshark fishman laugh: - "Oh~! How cute! The little kitten is showing her claws! Do you think they are worth anything!?"

This time, Nami did answer, smirking slyly and staring with lidded eyes, a change that interrupted Arlong's monologue. Clearly appreciating what she was saying, she answered: - "Why don't you find out? Captain~, I'll be at the back, watching; make a good showing, 'kay?"

"Nami! What is the meaning of this!?" - "Oi, fish! Shut up!" - Luffy didn't bother with any banter, punching Arlong in the face, sending the fishman flying much further away than the gates did, much to the surprise of his crew, the remaining 'Straw Hats' roaring behind their captain as they joined him in the war

Zoro was dancing amidst the wicked slashes and crushing blows from the enemy crew, having charged alongside his captain, and the fact he was reduced to one sword didn't make him any less deadly, cleaving his way through the crowd, taking with him as many as he could, leaving a glaring hole on the defences of the fishman fortress, exploited by the rest of the crew as they as they themselves took their opponents. Then a sound much like a trumpet sounded, and a massive sea beast turned up roaring, what looked like a half-cow, half-seal with white skin with green spots turning up to join the battle

Sanji walked slowly, simply turning aside to let a random pirate pass beside him, a knee on the head ensuring he'd take a long time to re-join the fight, then the same leg was extended, hooking behind the head of another charging fishman: - " _ **Reception**_!" - The shout that followed indicated said fishman kissed the ground forcefully, cracking the pavement and staying there; then a third fishman tried to punch him, a devastating blow that had him bending backwards to avoid, Sanji standing up again to look at a massive white fishman with large fins on his arms and a blue gi, black belt, and long hair in a ponytail, with the sun tattoo of Arlong on his right pecs and sandals on his feet

Gin had his own fun, crushing enemies with his tonfas, the weights on them striking like the cannonballs they looked like, until he was interrupted by an octopus-like fishman, with six arms covered with suckers and tipped with human hands, two normal-looking legs, pink skin with five grey spikes of hair on his head , a sun tattoo on his forehead, and a stripped outfit coloured gold and brown, with a pale green sash and flip-flops. The fishman was heavily muscular, and blocked a strike from Gin with one of six swords, the other five attacking 'the Ogre', who hastily backed out

And Usopp wasn't quite defenceless, hiding on a smokescreen and running away to a different spot whenever he was caught, and peppering the crowds with explosives and lead balls, his first targets being the still waiting trio of marines, who ran around like headless chickens before being knocked out. Then a bullet of pure water almost struck him from his perch atop one of Arlong Park's walls, and Usopp ran away from the place, a fishman with light blue skin and Arlong's Jolly Roger on his right shoulder, dressed in a blue vest with thin black horizontal stripes, brown pants, and sandals right on his tracks

* * *

Zoro cursed, not expecting his opponent at all. The crew of fishmen were celebrating the intervention of Mohmoo, which he suspected was the creature's name, and were more than willing to risk getting caught in the body blows of the beast as it tried to crush him, Zoro too busy hacking away at the many fishmen, more complicated than it appeared as he only had access to one sword

It didn't help him that the lack of support of Usopp, which exploded in front of the weaklings, meant that the numbers started to swell a little, becoming almost unmanageable. Almost: - " _ **Horse Chopper**_!"

The swordsman slashed forward, his sword at an angle, cutting his way through a few pirates and putting them down bleeding, before blocking the slashes from the pirates behind him, the attempts to cleave him to shreds blocked as they all struck from above, Zoro holding the attack for a moment before jumping forward, leaving the pirates scrambling to stand up

And they did, right on the path of a falling sea beast, Mohmoo unable to stop his attack. The sea beast rolled to its left, attempting to run over Zoro, but the green-haired man had already dashed forward, giving himself enough space to block the roll, halting the attack with his sword meeting the beast's horn

Lifting his head to watch why he stopped, Mohmoo had a very unpleasant surprise, Zoro calmly walking towards the beast, and leaving the Arlong pirates baffled, as Zoro sheathed his blade and put it on his back, before unsheathing it and guarding it again: - " _ **Draw and Re-sheath, Lion's Song**_!"

The gory cut that opened up on the sea cow had it bellowing in pain, slamming himself over and over in a desperate attempt to crush Zoro, who had long backed away; then he located a sabre on his feet and, after checking it quickly, decided it was close enough, taking it on his off-hand

A hasty block followed, the crossed blades meeting a horn, the impact throwing Zoro back, striking the wall of Arlong Park, then the swordsman flipped and used the wall to jump, Mohmoo colliding with the wall and breaking through it, much to the surprise of those bothering to watch the fight rather than actually fight

Mohmoo soon charged from the hole he broke, roaring in rage and with its horns poised to attempt to gore Zoro. The swordsman, unimpressed, already decided the fight was simply not worthy, already reading the patterns of attacks and their area-of-effect, well aware of how to deal with the beast: - " _ **Crab Grab**_!" - He cried out, his blades parallel to each other, closing and cleaving what was on their path: One of Mohmoo's horns

And that was it. The beast bellowed once, then twice, and dived into the water, and didn't return, a thin trail of blood indicating it was swimming away as fast as it could with its wounds, away from the battlefield. And Zoro, cheap sabre pointing down and his white katana on his shoulder, called out: - "Next!"

He had to run to reach them, as those who heard the challenge ran away

* * *

Meanwhile, as the fight started

"So, what did she promise you?" - Duck, bob, weave, and kick, the last one blocked by one of the fin-like things of Kuroobi, as the fishman was called by the crew watching, the group commemorating having even their pet joining the fight, as the weaker members backed out, allowing the officers of the crew to actually have open space to fight

Kuroobi struck in turn, blows being evaded as Sanji flipped backwards: - "She's a cute little thing, isn't she?" - He continued, attempting to trade blows, the blond refusing and retreating rather than trying to measure his strength against a fishman, able to analyse and see how superior in pure strength this opponent was

"She's quite talented; she's quite _beautiful_ , I suppose" - Sanji kept quiet, focusing on the fight, no matter how much he wanted to order his opponent to shut up with his insinuations; he would do so by caving his head in: - "Did she promise a _smooch_? Did she promise more?"

With a growl, Sanji cried out: - " _ **Collier**_!" - With a leg lashing out, the blow was blocked by a raised fin, but it wasn't the end; hooking himself on the raised arm and dragging himself upwards, he continued: - " _ **Épaule**_!"

This time the blow struck, Sanji using his position of basically standing on Kuroobi's arm to stomp on his shoulder, making his opponent flinch a little, though he swiftly recovered and grabbed one of Sanji's legs, throwing him towards the water, Sanji almost falling on the ocean, barely hanging on the pavement

Ducking under the charge of the manta fishman, Sanji however could only stare, as Kuroobi dived and… refused to come back: - "Are you kidding me?"

Kuroobi answered by finally popping out, one of his arm extended and passing right besides Sanji, the other cocked back for a devastating punch that failed to deliver, Sanji once again bending backwards, this time even further, his hands on the ground and his legs coiled above him as he did a handstand: - " _ **Bouquetiére Shot**_!"

The double kick launched Kuroobi even further than he wanted, his arms comically flailing as he desperately tried to stop his flight, the fishman colliding with the wall just as the octopus fishman collided with a column below, the entire front of the building falling on them

"W-what!? W-what are the-these, monsters!?" - Shouted one of the fishman in surprise: - "W-we are fishman, t-they sho-should fear us and our strength!"

 _That_ was a question Sanji was willing to answer: - "What type of chef would fear seafood?" - As he charged forward, looking for more fishmen to beat

Kuroobi wasn't defeated, however, standing from the debris with a look of shock: - "H-Hachi! You bastards! I'll kill you both! Then I'll kill that traitorous little whore! _**Thousand, Tile, True, Pu-**_!" - The punch, for that was what Sanji interrupted, wasn't delivered, the blond, seeing red, interrupting it with a cry of: - " _ **Collier**_! Now it is my turn to talk!"

The first kick was a frontal one, fast and taking Kuroobi by surprise, aimed at the neck and sending Kuroobi's head into the concrete, the second kick was followed by the cry of: - " _ **Épaule**_! Do you think you have the right to demand-" - And the blow came, Sanji spinning in place to deliver a low kick at the shoulder of the fallen fishman

With the fishman kicked back upright, Sanji continued: - " _ **Côtelette**_! Anything of Nami after killing her mother!?" - Dropping into a one-handed handstand behind Kuroobi, Sanji lashed out, kicking him in the ribs from behind, then spinning with the recoil of the impact to deliver another kick, aimed a little lower: - " _ **Selle**_! How moronically _shitty_ you are!"

" _ **Poitrine**_! Don't you dare-" - With the manta fishman staggering away from him, Sanji walked forward and spun, delivering another devastating kick on the chest of his opponent, making him bend painfully, the target not as agile or accustomed with the movement as Sanji, and exposing his legs for the next kick, which sent Kuroobi spinning in the air: - " _ **Gigot**_! Say anything about Nami!"

Hearing Kuroobi muttering something while in mid-air, probably something about how impossible it was for a human to defeat a fishman, Sanji thundered: - "Shut up! _**Mouton Shot**_!" - And, after a spinning jump, lashed out to kick Kuroobi while his target was still flying, sending the manta flying through Arlong Park, ending on the other side of the building

* * *

Gin groaned and roared and raged. He was on his… let's call it his 'zone'. He wasn't named 'the Ogre' for a reason

"Did you just bite me!?" - Hatchan, or Hachi, Gin heard both, asked, as indeed Gin bit down on the hair of the fishman, taking out a chunk that he spat away. He hadn't been able to enter in this merciless state against Sanji, even as Krieg ordered him to do so, his life debt stopping him, but against someone who hurt his navigator? He didn't have any qualms

He knew his way around tattoos; he had a dragon coiled around his upper arm, hidden under his jacket, a little faded from time. Nami's tattoo wasn't faded, it wasn't _old_ ; it had been applied when the lass was ten, and reapplied repeatedly as she grew, each time _branding_ her as Arlong's slave or pet

Not that Gin cared much about that, only desiring to take a bath with the blood of his enemies; the man, grinning savagely, spun his tonfas and clapped them together, a crushing blow that forced his opponent back least he loses one of his swords. 'The Ogre', still grinning, followed up with bruising blows that kept Hatcham on the defensive

"You don't speak much, do you?" - Hachi said, trying to get some banter going, but disappointed when his opponent just roared back, an inhuman sound that echoed alongside the devastating impact on the ground and large cracks: - "Fine! Be like that! _**Octopus Tentacle Swords**_!"

Hachi attacked, making Gin grin widen, his enemy finally doing something, the octopus fishman slashing wildly as he charged, only for Gin to completely ignore it, letting the swords bite on his left arm, as he spun his right tonfa. Then Gin countered, his spinning tonfa coming strong in a straight punch, the downward moving weight crushing one raised sword and slamming Hatcham straight onto the path of Gin's fist, sending the fishman flying, colliding with a column as a large white fishman collided with the roof above him

Hatcham was fairly certain someone spoke to him, but when he opened his eyes, it was to see a blond man punting Kuroobi through, by the sound of it, many walls: - "K-Kuroobi! Why you-"

A growl reminded him of why he collided with the column, and Sanji hastily jumped away, as Gin fell with the might of a cannonball, Hatcham watching in surprise as his ' _ **Octopus Pot Stance**_ ' was easily broken, raised namelessly and hastily and uselessly as Gin's twin tonfas smashed all five intact swords into the ground, crushing and shattering them

"… What are you" - He muttered, and this time the still grinning man answered, again with twin blows on the chin, launching him high in the sky, followed by a jump, Hachi staring in shock as Gin now was above him, crying out: - " _ **Ochiru**_!"

Seeing his opponent slamming the ground, and not standing up, Gin fell down with a frown on his face, finally back in control, his weapons resting on his shoulders as he snorted: - "That, was easy" - Really, Krieg could face them down and win, at least this one

Then a wall was demolished, and from the ruins came a massive beast with a straight cut down its front, and both Gin and Sanji felt robbed of a great fight, watching as Zoro cleaved one of its horns off. Then Zoro challenged the next fighter, and both the standing males realized that the job wasn't done yet, especially as a lead ball made one of the fishman slip

* * *

Usopp was bruised. Usopp was battered. It was hard fought battle and, oh, who was he kidding

' _Must be an archerfish fishman'_ \- First, the teen deduced his target, noticing his ability to spit water at high speed, pressure and power. It was a troublesome ability

Second, the teen laid an ambush. Being faster by a far margin, Usopp hid on the woods and climbed a tree. Then he threw, with his slingshot, a bottle of wine; a tricky shot, but nothing that the sniper of the future Pirate King couldn't accomplish

Third and last, fire a 'Sure Kill, Explosive Star' on the wine splattered fishman

Wine was, thanks to the alcohol, flammable. It was almost anti-climactic, really, even though the risk of being caught and pummelled to death was very real and only his sheer speed stopped him from being killed, some hammer blows to the head ensuring the fishman wouldn't recover so soon, the fishman too distracted trying to dive on some rice paddies further away to defend himself

Thus, Usopp called out: - "Alright! Nami, how's it going?"

The girl smirked like she caught a particularly fat canary, and answered lazily from her perch atop one of the walls: - "Oh, this and that. The monster that destroyed Gosa was put to run by Zoro-" - "Yeah, he's a monster too" - "Sanji kicked Kuroobi's arse through Arlong Park; he's always been a distrustful asshole-" - "That must've been annoying" - "And Gin obliterated Hachi, even taking a bite out of him" - "… I have nothing to say about that"

Nami snickered at his gobsmacked face: - "He bit just hair, but it was still quite shocking"

"Nami, you traitor!" - Called out a trio of fishman, one black-haired, with a pink fin on the back of his head and white-skinned with the Kanji for 'koi' on his forehead and of an arrow on his chest, white-skinned and purple open shirt with golden wavy lines and golden trousers, one muscular and large, with large lips and light blue skin and dressed in a wine shirt with purple stars, much like the red star tattooed on his chest, and his white trousers were held by an equally white sash, completed with two maracas on his hands, and the last one with black hair, a fin poking from the top of his head, a black wave design inked on his forehead, a dark green long doublet with red roses with a blue wrap over it

"Take, Pisaro, Shioyaki" - Introduced Nami, pointing at each one, respectively - "Why!? Why did you do this" - Came from Take, pointing a finger at the pair, and making Nami frown derisively

"One, it's rude to point" - Then, walking in their direction, she pulled one of the pieces of her staff and wacked Take's still extended hand: - "Second, you killed my mom; do you really think you'd be able to buy me with money after that?"

"I-it did!" - Pisaro declared, shaking his maracas: - "F-for eight years, y-you've b-been on the same level as Hachi and Kuroobi and-"

"And Chew, who our sniper and easily weaker than even me, defeated" - "Oi" - Pointed out Nami, back at smirking lazily: - "And at the same level? I'm human, idiot, I've never been an equal. And I've been trying to gain enough money to _run away_ and _free my home_ "

"Really, if Arlong was a little more trustworthy and kept his word and _left_ _me alone after killing my mother in front of me_ , he might've even had survived this" - "W-what!?" - "As it stands" - Here, Nami's smirk turned as deadly as Gin's grin: - "To ensure that Arlong won't hurt my people, he'll have to _die_ "

"We-we-we won't let you!" - Declared Shioyaki, but was quickly shut down, Nami taking the staff piece with two hands and slamming it on the side of his head as she ordered him to shut up. Pisaro and Take stared, baffled at the act, at seeing the weakling human beating a powerful and mighty fishman, and were thus caught unaware by the second and third bottle of wine, and the shout: - " _ **Sure Kill, Twin Explosive Stars**_!"

They went up in flames, and a hammer and improvised club ensured neither would stand up for quite some time

"… Hey, that makes three fishman I've defeated" - "Those three here are the ones responsible for parties; they're weaklings even by my standards" - "Oh"

* * *

Arlong couldn't believe what he was seeing. First, Mohmoo was practically cleaved in half by the green-haired swordsman, then his friends and officers were sent flying by mere _humans_ , and to make matters worse, his men proceeded to be _defeated_. Even Chew didn't return, instead the _stick-thin sniper_ did

And Luffy, behind him and keeping an eye on the fishman, muttered: - "So that's what is to be on the ignored side of banter. Woah!" - And just as he finished, Arlong bellowed, charging into the battlefield

Zoro, sweating as he hadn't recovered fully from his fight with Mihawk, could only desperately block as the saw-shaped nose of Arlong collided with his crossed swords, his sabre cracking with the impact and his katana almost following, the unexpected weapon sliding instead of shattering his prized possession, the swordsman receiving an elbow on his sternum and sent flying

"That's my swordsman, you bastard!" - Luffy had enough as soon as the fishman moved, and he attacked enraged too, the two captains meeting in fury in an array of punches and kicks, disorganized and closer to a brawl than a proper fight

Then again, Arlong was with his eyes red and with slits for pupils, looking more like a sea king rather than his blue, normal ones. Luffy… didn't had an excuse; even without anger, his fighting style always was non-existent

Luffy, however had the presence of mind to acknowledge that he had an objective: - " _ **Candy Candy~**_ " - "A Devil Fruit!?"

" _ **Pistol**_!" - Shocked out of his anger, the fishman took the blow straight into his jaw, his teeth popping out of his mouth in a way that would be comical if it wasn't literal

Arlong was soon back to roaring in rage, his eyes slits once again, all his teeth already regrown and the set on his hands used as a weapon, a crushing bite of sorts that had Luffy scrambling out of the way of the attack, Arlong going then for a swim as Luffy moved aside

The captain of the 'Straw Hats' then discovered his opposite captain had a fin, the object poking from the water as he swum in circles. Then came from underwater, somehow still audible: - " _ **Shark on Darts**_!" - And from the ocean, he came, charging nose first onto Luffy, who crouched under the attack, letting Arlong spear straight through Arlong Park's walls

When he came out, he came swinging a massive weapon, a large blade made of large triangular teeth, resembling Arlong's own teeth, the shout of Nami identifying it as the creatively named 'Shark Saw' with a scream of shock, the massive blade cleaving straight through the pavement under Luffy, the shark man flipping the stone and almost sending him into the water

The next slash was at Luffy himself, who ducked under it, and, with a wordless roar, charged, slamming onto Arlong and pushing him towards Arlong Park. Then the fishman revealed he hadn't dropped his off-hand weapon, his detached mandible biting on Luffy… much to no effect, the candy man in turn just turning into Syrup and taking the attack without taking any of the damage

One, two, Luffy answered with a set of punches, pushing Arlong back, even as he prepared to slam down his weapon. When he did, Luffy shouted: - " _ **Candy Candy Jawbreaker**_!" - And hardened his body, the syrup turning rock solid and a little further, the blades of the 'Shark Saw' cracking the pavement as they slammed on Luffy's shoulder and pushed him down, only giving the boy with the straw hat more leverage to push forward, outright lifting Arlong with another roar, until they met the doors of Arlong Park proper, going through the ruins of Arlong's throne and the wooden doors

"Who- The hell- Are you!?" - Each shout was followed by a blow, either from 'Shark Saw' or from Arlong's fist, the mandible on his hands having fallen with the charge. Luffy blocked the attacks with his still hardened body, but he felt himself slowly losing consistency, returning to… mostly normal

"I-" - Making to answer, Luffy kicked Arlong aside, both fighters separated in the middle of Arlong Park's entrance hall, both fighters taking deep breaths: - "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

"Are you- Are you nuts!?" - Bellowed the fishman, baring his teeth as he rested his great sword on his shoulders: - "The Pirate King is the one who has everything! Power, money, armies at his command; you honestly expect a little fly to stand like you to stand any chance?"

Perfect opening for Luffy, who grinned like the loon he was: - "A little fly that is kicking your ass~; shishishishi"

Growling, Arlong shouted: - " _ **Shark on Darts**_!" - And in turn, making Luffy shout: - "You can do that out of water!?" - As he hastily dodged aside, letting the fishman pass by, going through the walls of the building

"What does that have to do with me!? My men!?" - "Oh, nothing really" - The flippant answer actually made Arlong pause

"But you see, only the best for the Pirate King's crew, right? The best swordsman, the best cook, the best sniper" - Luffy turned from counting his fingers to stare straight at Arlong: - "The best navigator~"

"… All of this for a little girl?" - Hastily armouring his arms, Luffy blocked the next attack from 'the Saw', a downward slam that pushed Luffy back on the wooden floor, cracking it and sending splinters everywhere: - "That's it!? A little whore!?"

"She's mine! I found her! I found her talent, I trained her, I made her mine! And after I kill you, I'll kill all of the little traitor's family and force her to make me maps 'till she dies!"

"Nami is mine to use as I deem fit!" - Arlong bellowed with finality, eyes bloodshot and crazed. Luffy, however, didn't like what he heard

Admittedly, Arlong was so racist the 'made her mine' comment and the 'use as I deem fit' could refer, respectively, to her branding and her cartographic and navigating skills, but they could also… misinterpreted

Luffy might be dense, even he admitted such, but he wasn't stupid

"Don't worry, Arlong" - He said, grinning an all too unpleasant grin: - "You won't feel a thing. This will all be a bad dream~"

"One you won't wake up from"

* * *

One of the problems of the fight going inside was that the crew couldn't quite see what was happening

It didn't help the loud crashes and crushes of wood being pulped didn't point out for a clear winner. A hint almost revealed itself, as Arlong and Luffy, grappling, broke through a window of, somehow, the second floor, Luffy latching at Arlong with his hands and using his legs with a shout of: - " _ **Candy Candy Cannonball~**_!" - To, with his feet, launch himself even higher, to a window Nami instantly recognized

And then wood and papers started coming down alongside a fishman, and tears welled down her eyes

* * *

"No! What are you doing!" - Luffy was dense, not stupid; it didn't take much of a mind to see the many maps and deduce they were the result of blood, sweat, and tears, shed because of the fish he was fighting

So he exploded. And expanded, pushing the maps and the furniture, and Arlong, out, the majority of it through the window. Arlong slammed his weapon on the wall, then launched himself upwards, spinning like a buzz-saw and breaking back into the building, to watch Luffy punt aside a wall, caving it in

"Stop!" - This was his map room! He couldn't let the rubber brat destroy his navigator's hard work! Then the fishman discovered that doing so with a massive and ridiculously sharp great sword wasn't quite productive, the blade slashing at the papers with ease, even as he tried to wave said sword away from the maps

"What are yourgh" - "I don't have to answer anything to you!" - Luffy interrupted the question, a knee to Arlong's stomach, followed by a punch to his head, followed by another knee blow, this one at Arlong's face

Arlong found then an… unusual way of dealing with a candy man. The bite had Luffy crying out in surprise, but much to the fishman's shock, it didn't slow the boy down, who extended his leg upwards, his calf falling down and melting in syrup, and another grew, falling into a powerful axe kick, drawing a pained groan from his opponent

Then, Arlong started to become desperate, as nothing he did worked at all against Luffy; another bite attack was evaded, the boy with the straw hat using the forehead of the fishman as a stepping stone to bounce away, Luffy armouring himself with a hasty shout of 'Jawbreaker' as the blade of Arlong came, spinning the teen in place with the blow and just damaging further the room

Roaring and hacking away, the pair discovered a fatal problem with their plans, as a creak almost completely unrelated to the fight made them stop. Comically, they both looked at each other, then down, at the gouge marks on the ground, then at the sides of the room, scratched and scarred

"Hey, this is technically not my fault!" - Glibly stated Luffy, drawing a glare of hatred from Arlong

The room they were in promptly collapsed

Luffy stood up, and discovered that Arlong recovered first, the gigantic shadow rising from the cloud of dust and splinters giving him away, the massive blade separating the teen's head from his shoulders, the attack inefficient as it was expected, the grinning head falling down with a 'plop' back in place

"What- What are you" - Mumbling, Arlong made to swing 'Shark Saw' again, but found an unexpected snag, the blade dragging on the walls, slowing it down; so shocked he was, he didn't realise it, even as Luffy moved to punch him in the face: - " _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!" - And dropping Arlong down, in more ways than one, as the fishman fell straight down Arlong Park's stairs

Standing above the fishman, Luffy looked down and decided, that while the fighter in him wanted it to last as long as it could, the captain recognized that he needed his navigator to join the crew. So, standing above the opening of the staircase, he declared out loud: - " _ **Candy~ Candy~**_!"

Growing, and growing and growing and growing further and further, expanding and occupying the space that was occupied by Arlong Park, the walls competing and loosing against the balloon of candy syrup that. A bite he felt on the underside of the bubble told him Arlong woke up, and either bit down or attempted to cut him up

Exactly as he wanted: - " _ **\- Conquest**_!" - And he didn't just grew. He also grew _faster_

The bottom of the bubble slammed on the ground, and would've have crushed Arlong if not for the fact it was relatively soft syrup. As it stood, the park didn't survive; Luffy exploded, a named form of his early destruction of Nami's prison, used to its full potential to destroy Arlong Park

In the end, the bubble of candy shrunk, and stood Luffy atop the debris, one foot above the concussed Arlong, the fishman defeated and unconscious, his blade at his side. Gin presented his pistol, and the captain took it, and did his duty, fulfilling his promise to his navigator

That day, which started like many others, saw the death of Arlong 'the Saw', and his navigator and her village and island free from the shackles of slavery, the girl on her knees, crying, not truly believing what just happened

"Nami" - She flinched, surprised, once again, by Luffy's gentleness, the teen hugging her, his voice surprisingly soft: - "You're free to do as you wish now"

Sobbing, and not trusting her voice, Nami just nodded on her friend's shoulder, the teen masterfully acknowledging the damp spots on his cardigan, even as he gave back Gin's gun: - "Do you want to be my navigator?"

Smiling, she looked at him, tear tracks on her face, even as she nodded, weakly speaking yes

* * *

AN: Wooo~, another chapter

Finally, Arlong versus Luffy, and the gang versus the Arlong pirates. It was rather fun to write, especially Mohmoo against Zoro; it was even needed, since the crew had one more on their side

Answering reviews now: _**sudhush**_ , as long as you keep giving reviews, I'll keep aknowledging them; it is my way of thanking you for taking your time to drop a comment. So, thanks for the review!

And _**Elfyliane**_ , merci! Unfortunately, that's the extent of my French that doesn't involve Google Translate... Anyway, thanks for the review, and yeah, either Gin is the first thing Oda forgot about, or he's about to appear and I just created a massive plothole by recruiting him and killing Krieg

And now, about the differences from Canon: The main one was that the battles were much more easier; Zoro had some proper, if still relatively subpar, treatment, Sanji never needed to dive into the water, Gin was mostly healthy, and while still somewhat of a coward, Usopp here is much more courageous

Him running away was less fear for his life and more recognition that a fishman in close quarters was a bad idea; in fact, he promptly turned it around with his sheer speed, as soon as he had the chance

Another one was that they arrived a little earlier. So no Chabo to witness the fight, no Genzo being threatened of death for possessing his sabre. The 'Straw Hats' get in, beat the crap of the Arlong pirates, and get out for the party

Second to last, and as consequence of the last one, Mohmoo wasn't hungry enough to be attracted by Sanji's heavenly culinary. It ended badly for him, as being called into battle just allowed Zoro to show off his badassery

And actual last, Arlong is dead. Killed. Off of this world. Gone. Nami might've tolerated him, but do remember she did attempt assassinations, poisonings, and other umpleasantries against him; she _hated_ him, and with the chance of freeing her village with the help of 'the Straw Hats' was gleefully taken. It did help that she'd be able to keep her treasure :p

And now, a rather... tragic announcement. My muse, fickle being that it is, has filled my head with Harry Potter. I'll still try to post the next chapter next Sunday, but to ignore the muse is a risk I'm not willing to take; hopefully I'll have the next chapter ready by then

So, until next time, I love you all

Peace!


	9. Chapter 8 - The Beginning of the End

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 7 - The Beginning of the End, the End of the First Pirate Age

* * *

There was a party. Of course there was a party

Luffy practically demanded it after tying up the defeated fishmen pirates with the marines and dumping them, through helpful application of Hachi's transport pot, back into the marine ship. It took some time to convince Cocoyashi Village that they were free, but nothing a runner going to the park and finding Arlong's dead body didn't solve

Luffy ate melons and hams and melons wrapped in hams. Zoro drunk, alone, almost half of the alcohol of the party. Usopp's tall tales were an instant hit, everyone too drunk to truly question them, instead choosing to celebrate their talkative hero. Sanji's book of recipes grew massively, and his book of conquests gained at least two pages, and even if they were only a dance and a smooch, it was more than enough for the cook. And Gin was completely lost, for once being seen as the hero instead of the villain

And Nami spent the first few hours of the party with the good doctor, however; while complicated to remove a tribal tattoo, it wasn't impossible, and besides, any blemish would be covered by the new one, a tangerine growing out of a windmill, a reminiscent of both of her paternal figures: Belle-mère, her tough, ex-marine mother who saved both Nami and Nojiko's life, and Genzo, a police officer who looked scary when she was younger, and used a windmill on his hat, looking incredibly silly and always making the tangerine-haired girl laugh when she was a toddler

Following it up, was a meeting with said police officer, now old and scarred from his attempt of stopping the Arlong pirates from taking her back when she was ten, immediately after her mother's death; dressed he was in his old brown police uniform, with rights to beret and windmill. They talked a little, reminiscing of Belle-mère, and, soon joined by Nojiko, Nami's blue-haired adopted sister, they debated over Nami's decision of joining the 'Straw Hat' pirates

Or rather, Nojiko and Genzo begged and demanded, respectively, that Nami stayed with them, not needing to go with them, but the lass refused to change her choice, desiring to sail away to make her world map, having learned that while most pirates _are_ evil, the 'Straw Hats' were simply the best crew ever and the greatest chance she had to fulfil her dream, and that's without going into her debt with them, as they did kill Arlong and freed her and her home

It was a weeping trio, hugging each other, that returned to the party, almost dragging down the mood if not for the fact that everyone, even Luffy, was slightly inebriated, and soon the three, while still with tears on their eyes, were laughing and dancing just as the rest

And finally, one week of hard partying later, the 'Straw Hat' pirates waited for their navigator to depart. Gin chatted with Nojiko, talking about tattoos of all thing, between Nami's new one, his own and Nojiko's own blue tribal lines; Usopp and Zoro finished carrying the crates and barrels of resources and food into the ship; Sanji took care of the recently planted tangerines, not really a gardener but knowing enough about fruits to ensure they were healthy… for the most part

The captain of the crew wasn't with the rest, instead resting at the Merry's figurehead, his hat shading his eyes, as he let his body absorb alcohol instead of getting rid of it, and now suffered the hangover from a week-long party. Though, he didn't act like such when he heard the call of: - "Raise the anchor and drop the sails!"

Echoing the order, the crew moved to obey, Luffy going from the front to the back of the caravel in a blink, watching as Nami weaved masterfully around the villagers, who all wanted to stop her and say a proper goodbye, even with the massive sack on her back. It ended with the redhead jumping and delicately stepping on the railings of the Going Merry, stepping down and dropping the sack on the floor

Then she raised her shirt, and to everyone's outrage and Luffy's demented laugher, let fall all the wallets she took as she slipped through the crowd

And that was how Nami, daughter of Belle-mère, said goodbye to Cocoyashi Village and officially joined the 'Straw Hat' pirate crew

* * *

"Loguetown" - Spoke Luffy reverently, as Nami traced their route. The city was the last step that the grand majority took before entering the Grand Line: - "'The City of the Beginning and the End'. Our next step before the Grand Line, then"

Solemnly, Nami just nodded, Luffy also nodding in turn, exiting the cabin, and going to his throne at the figurehead, his crew soon joining him in his introspection, the winds pushing the little caravel forward, the winds of change touching the group as they felt it

Something big was coming. Something big was going to happen

Luffy grinned and laughed: - "Let's go!"

He could hardly wait

And it took quite a lot of convincing for him to not personally row or order the crew to do so, Nami slyly pointing out that the wait would just make the adventure more exciting when it came, Luffy agreeing to wait, even as he whined about how it would be too long

One particular day, however, the relative peace of the Going Merry was interrupted, as Nami, now dressed in a completely navy coloured shirt and skirt, bought her journal, after haggling with the News Coo and whining about the rising prices, as also was customary

Then, from within the pages, as she opened the papers, a sheet flew and was almost taken by the wind, only a hasty foot from Sanji stopping it from flying: - "Nami-dear! I brought you a specially prepared lemon ice-cream! What is this?"

"Thank you, Sanji~… and that? Was in the journal"

"Hm, let me see… 'Straw Hat' Luffy, wanted for piracy, worth thirty million Belly… what the hell!" - Echoed the sentiment the entire crew, except Zoro, who just woke up with the commotion

The reactions were somewhat divided. Nami and Usopp were worried about bounty hunters, but the rest of the crew was excited that they finally were worthy something, especially Gin, who now didn't have a bounty higher than his captain

And with the newest reason to celebrate, the crew finally reached the fabled city of Loguetown, 'City of the Beginning and the End'

The place where the pirate King was born, and executed

* * *

It was completely expected that Luffy would shoot out of the Merry as if fired by one of the caravel's cannon. It was the complete opposite to see him return, pointing to each member of the crew, first at Nami: - "Don't steal from crew mates" - He then pointed at Zoro, while still looking at the ginger: - "Borrow some money for him to get his swords"

"Sanji, Gin, you both go get food" - He continued, pointing to the named pair, and then back at Nami: - "Nami, you and Usopp go search for everything you can 'bout the Grand Line"

"If you need me, I'll be at the place where they killed the Pirate King; toddles!"

And off he went again, not giving the chance for a single word for the crew

"That's just so… Luffy. Usopp! Let's go!" - "Oi, Nami, aren't you forgetting something!" - Interrupted the sniper

With a sigh, Nami went into the Merry and came with a total of two-hundred thousand Belly in hands: - "Don't waste it, clear?"

"Don't worry, the booze will come from the cook" - And fortunately, said cook and 'the Ogre' had already departed, or else there would be a fight

Zoro's journey begin with him getting lost, however, not familiar with the town at all. He wandered around for some time, until he met her, in a heavily interdicted crossroad. One lass, with dark blue hair, meeting two rather grotesque men; she carrying a katana and the other two carrying a sabre and a cutlass

The swordsman of the 'Straw Hats' moved to help, but didn't need to. The two pirates, whose captain had been arrested by her boss, attacked, but the bluenette easily took them down with a single slash to the amazement of the crowd; then she tripped on her own feet, her glasses falling right in front of Zoro, to the amusement this time, of the witnesses

Without a word, the greenette picked them up and, and grabbed one of her hands, ensuring she'd take the glasses, and he opened his mouth to speak, but then got a good look of her face, making Zoro choke on his words

Long ago, when he was a child and only wielded two swords, Zoro had a rival, a young swordswoman named Kuina, daughter of his teacher, who always defeated him. Just after their last duel, a duel with real swords on a full-moon night, she gripped about her feelings, as she believed that, as a woman, she'd eventually grow to be weaker than Zoro

Zoro disagreed, refusing to accept that he'd only defeat his greatest rival because she grew weaker than him, and made her promise that they'd duel for the title of greatest swordsmen in the world, no matter what happened

What happened, however, was that Kuina tripped while climbing down some stairs, fell and broke her neck, dying then and there

That was the cause of his shock right now. Kuina was dead, he attended her funeral, yet in front of him, stood her!? Impossible!

"Sir, are you okay?" - A voice broke through his stupor, and Zoro twitched further. Even her voice was identical!

Still, he controlled himself, and answered the question: - "Y-yes! Yes, you just… l-look a lot like a dear friend"

"Really?" - She spoke in turn, an eyebrow raised, her face curious about why he had such an extreme reaction, before shrugging her shoulders, deciding it wasn't her problem: - "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you, but you were off in your own world…"

"… Fine… anyway, do you know any weapon store around here?" - "Hm? Sure! I'm going to one right now, just follow me" - And Zoro did, sweat dropping from his forehead, walking behind this strangely familiar lady: - "I'm Tashigi, by the way"

"Zoro" - "… What!?"

"Hm?" - "Yo-you're the pirate hunter Zoro!? Said to wield the Wado Ichimonji!?"

"… Yes?" - "… I don't trust you! Don't follow me!"

Okay, now that was just going weird places: - "What?"

"You heard me! I hate people like you! Using such a precious blade for such selfish reasons like bounty hunting, I'd never let you waste other swords!"

Gaping, Zoro could only stare as the blue-haired lass turned her nose, turned around… and proceeded to enter into a weapon store, a short walk behind her

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" - Even Tashigi had to recognize it wasn't truly his fault, so she could only stare at him with a blush on her cheeks as he did follow her, but soon had her face pointed somewhere else, refusing to meet his face, instead preferring to ring the bell of the establishment

The lass apparently left her sword here, for repairs and polishing, and, as the man manning the balcony asked what Zoro wanted, the swordsman asked for two swords, each at least worth one hundred thousand Belly, and gaining a frown from the man, not recognizing Zoro and, seeing the sword already on his waist, believing him to be just a wannabe swordsman: - "Fine, see the six barrels alongside the wall? The two closest to the balcony are worthy one hundred fifty, the next two one hundred, and the closest to the door are fifty, take them as you wish"

Raising an eyebrow at the odd presentation, Zoro did approach the barrel with fifty, because why not, and felt… it. It was special. It was _evil_. It was a katana with a deep red sheath and hilt wrappings, and it sung for him

A gasp almost made him tear his eyes from the blade, but he chose instead to reverently take it from the barrel. Why it was worthy only fifty hundred Belly, he didn't know and didn't care, but he was taking it

"T-that's a Kitetsu! The third Kitetsu blade!? What it is doing there!?" - Exclaimed Tashigi, examining a booklet that appeared to be about swords: - "It's worth at least one million Belly!"

"I- I- I… can't sell you this blade!" - Zoro, unsheathing the blade and seeing with his eyes the quality of the sword, raised an eyebrow at the comment: - "It is a cursed blade! Every swordsman to wield it had a violent, gory death!"

Tashigi deflated with the comment, somewhat sad with the fate of the blade, but Zoro didn't care: - "A curse, hm? Let's test it"

"What?" - "What!?" - Tashigi almost didn't register the comment, so risky the prospect was that she didn't even consider it, while the shopkeeper exclaimed in shock, as Zoro simply threw the sword high in the air, the blade spinning and falling. The swordswoman breath escaped her as she saw Zoro extending his arm under the blade, and the man on the balcony screamed at him, as the sword would surely cleave his arm

But to the surprise of them both, the blade spun neatly around the extended limb, burying itself almost hilt deep into the floor

With a grin, as Tashigi fell on the ground, Zoro declared: - "I'll take it"

And as he moved to see if another special sword answered to him, the shopkeeper moved, raising a hand: - "One moment!" - The moment passed, and he returned with another sword: - "Take this. It is the Yubashiri; it has a black lacquered sheath and I assure you, is the best sword you'll find in this store, if not the entirety of Loguetown"

"T-that's-" - "There's no way I can pay for it"

"Take it, and, in fact, take them both for free. As recognition for such a strong will and your great courage, this is my recognition that you're a true swordsman destined for greatness" - Declared the shopkeeper, removing the blade from its stand and offering it with reverence to Zoro, with swordsman taking it with only a little hesitation

"Thank you… and goodbye" - Said Zoro, not knowing what else to say, exiting the store and leaving behind an ex-swordsman feeling proud and an actual swordswoman feeling extremely confused

"A true swordsman, hm?" - She muttered, then smiled: - "Seen stranger… oh, my knees are weak, I can't stand up!" - "Oh, for the love of Oda, girl"

* * *

Zoro wasn't the only one having some misadventures. Sanji and Gin's food run was going smoothly, and Usopp and Nami discovered a special compass that apparently only worked on the Grand Line, but Luffy got himself more lost than Zoro, also having no idea of how to navigate in the city

Thus, he ended outside the town in a cliff, inside an abandoned bar that apparently, Roger himself once frequented, crossed paths with all members of his crew, returned to the Going Merry, and still hadn't found the executioner platform. Even the help of a rather serious looking marine wasn't enough, the instructions given rather vague in the labyrinthine city

But at least, he found it. The executioner platform was a massive tower, a structure of wood and metal that rose far above the city, easily the highest point of Loguetown; naturally, Luffy climbed it and gazed in awe, at the vision the Pirate King had before his execution

"Hey! This is protected property of the World Government! Get out of there this instant!" - Came from below a voice, coming from a man dressed much like Genzo, Nami's adopted father, dressed. He screamed at Luffy through a megaphone, for apparently it was illegal to stand on the same place the Pirate King stood

How noble: - "Don't want to!" - Screamed back Luffy, laughing

The man was about to shout a little more, but was interrupted, an iron club studded with spikes striking him and sending the poor soul flying out of his body, much to his annoyance: - "Hey, I was speaking with him!"

"Ufufufufu, my, oh my; still as active as ever, I see" - The voice of the club-wielder was distinctive, one Luffy hadn't heard before, the female thin and covered with a pink cloak covered with red hearts. Luffy was only aware of who it was because of the club, that he distinctively remembered crushing his body at least twice, and the white cowboy hat

"Alvida!" - "Ah, so you remember me!" - "But do you remember us, 'Straw Hat'?" - The next voice came from a man, hidden under a dark blue cloak, alongside an entire crew of men under the same cloak: - "We have a lot~ to talk about"

Luffy did remember the voice, and he also recognized the barely visible but still noticeable red blob: - "Buggy!"

"Indeed, 'Straw Hat', indeed, I, Buggy 'the Clown', have come…" - And from above Luffy, somehow, came Cabaji, the acrobat that Luffy remembered Zoro saying to have defeated. The acrobat came slamming down Luffy into the platform, a wooden block with large nails strategically positioned to lock the captain of 'the Straw Hats' in place: - "To take my flashy revenge!

Alvida chuckled maliciously again, staring at Luffy like a Nami preying on a particularly fat wallet: - "So easily caught, Luffy, I expected better from the only man who was able to defeat me" - And making the boy with the straw hat still on his head look at her in confusion

"… Hey, cabbage, I can easily slip from here" - Luffy spoke, purposefully misnaming the man pinning him down, using his candy powers to shrink his hands and squish them through their prisons, then reforming them and showing it to prove his point: - "See?"

With a nerve popping from his forehead, and hearing his boss shouting in surprise and ordering to not let their target escape, Cabaji muttered: - "Oh, really, what if I do this!?" - And pressed with as much force as he could. Then he discovered Luffy's trick, the body left behind made of syrup and simply melting into a red puddle, the head popping like the cork of a bottle, the body re-growing and a leg extending a lot: - " _ **Candy Candy~ Axe**_!"

Screams echoed as Buggy and Alvida hastily dived aside, Luffy stretching his neck and getting into a ready position. Buggy got rid of his cloak, revealing himself in more or less the same clothes from before, while Alvida also got hid of hers, revealing…: - "What the hell!?"

Luffy definitively didn't expect fat, unkempt Alvida to suddenly become quite a beauty, dressed in a white bikini top, stripped pink and white calf-length pants, a purple open coat, and sandals, revealing her changed form: - "Who are you!? Alvida was completely different from you!"

"It is incredible what losing a few freckles does to a person, doesn't it?" - "What!?" - "I ate the Smooth Smooth Fruit, which makes my skin super smooth" - She explained, making Luffy scratch his hat, as that was definitively _not_ what changed: - "And you, Luffy, prove to be quite a trickery opponent~"

"Prove me you're worthy, Luffy" - And with that, the woman charged, her club swinging as she slipped freely at his direction, one feet now bare to allow her to slide with her super smooth skin at high speed, Luffy diving out of the way of the attack and attempting to trip her, but Alvida simply skipped over the extended leg: - "Prove me you're worthy to live!"

" _ **Chop Chop Harpoon**_!" - The hand and forearm of Buggy came forth, Luffy remembered the dirty trick of this particular technique and choosing to just get out of the way, right into the path of another swing from Alvida, the boy with the straw hat gluing himself to the club to get himself in position, jumping from it and getting himself above everyone

Another axe kick from Luffy, aimed at Alvida, and she didn't even bother to evade, the kick slipping and crushing the tiles beside her, the woman's club crushing his leg, only for a shout of: - " _ **Candy Candy Lance**_!" - To surprise her, the spear-like thrust actually connecting as he made the tip sticky, and the rest of the leg transferred the force of the blow as it pushed her and slammed her on one of the buildings, the woman losing her remaining shoe, and thus unable to halt the attack, her slippery feet unable to give her any grip on the ground

Instincts then blared, and Luffy jumped back, seeing Buggy slam down a cutlass on the ground, one that had Luffy frowning, as it felt strangely familiar. Deciding that such details weren't important to think about in the middle of a fight, the 'Straw Hat' decided to simply not be cut by it

With that decision, he charged forward with a shout, driving 'the Clown' into the defensive, a 'Candy Candy Pistol' forcing the man to duck, followed by Luffy grabbing on the ground behind Buggy and allowed himself to be dragged forward; the enemy captain tried then to cut him up with his cutlass, but Luffy twisted out of the way, delivering a devastating heel kick to launch Buggy away, putting the boy between both Alvida and Buggy

"Have you no honour!?" - Shouted Alvida, making Luffy turn confused, as they were the ones who attacked him from behind, and to his surprise, it wasn't shouted at him, but at a marine, who just fired a net of sorts over her, the now beautiful woman launching herself forward and sliding towards her sandal: - "This is a duel between pirates!"

Then from above a building through a megaphone, a voice: - "Exactly; in the middle of _my_ city, even. Marines! Fire the nets!" - It had Luffy scratching his head, as he was fairly certain that he heard the voice before, but he couldn't remember exactly where

"Captain! Captain Luffy!" - The crowd, panicking and corralled by the Buggy pirates into the plaza, finally dispersed, the marines containing the corsairs and allowing Luffy to see Gin and Zoro fast approaching: - "Nami said a storm was coming! We need to get out of here!"

The marines heard Gin speak, and the orders to detain the 'Straw Hats' echoed, but it was for naught, the nets launched over the crew missing as Luffy acted like a bouncy ball, springing away from the battlefield, he and his crew making their exit amidst the chaos, the boy with the straw hat laughing all the while

* * *

Luffy didn't laugh for long. Soon the group met opposition, in the form of a cute blue-haired swordswoman and a severe looking marine smoking two cigars at once

"Roronoa Zoro! I could even accept an honourable bounty hunter, but an honourable pirate!?" - Spat said swordswoman: - "I'll take those swords from your hands, even if I have to kill you!"

Luffy, while as fond of a fight as Zoro, was told they were on a time limit: - "Zoro, be fast, we need to reach the Merry!" - "Aye, captain!"

"Who said you'll reach your ship, 'Straw Hat' Luffy?" - Spat, this time, the severe marine: - "No pirate has ever escaped Loguetown while I was its captain, and I don't intend to make you my first! _**White Off**_!" - Then the marine turned into white smoke, and charged at Luffy and Gin, as Zoro faced Tashigi of the side

Luffy ordered: - "Gin! Run! Go to the Merry as fast as you can! We'll follow!" - And then, cried out: - " _ **Candy Candy~ Pistol**_!" - The candied punch passed harmlessly through his opponent, who reformed his upper torso and drew a jutte from his back

Meeting the charge head on, the boy with the straw hat shouted: - "And _**Cannonball**_!" - As his hand found purchase in a lamppost, and he allowed himself to be launched at the marine, evading the weapon on his hands and trying, and failing, to kick him on the back, the captain simply dispersing into smoke

Giggling, Luffy landed on the floor and charged on foot, his hands behind him to prepare for some good old fisticuffs, but not finding it as his smoky opponent just passed through him. Luffy hastily ducked under the iron rod wielded by the marine, grabbed it, and attempted to deliver one of his deadly punches, but again was foiled by his opponent's unique body. The pair disengaged, facing each other, and Luffy spoke

"So, smoky, how are you doing?" - "It's Smoker" - "… Really?" - " _ **White Blow**_!" - After the small banter, the smoke man punched forward with his jutte, his arm of smoke except his hand holding the weapon, the smoke growing and propelling the hand forward; the captain of the 'Straw Hats' ducked under the attack, and attempted to jump back to grasp the weapon, but failed

He did separate the arm from the rest of the body, but just as he removed his own head and regrew his body, so did Smoker, re-growing from his arm with the remains of his body dispersing, the jutte blow striking him in the back of the head

It actually hurt him! It actually wounded the boy, who hastily grabbed his dislodged hat, putting it back on his head, turning and staring at Smoker, correctly deducing: - "Seastone!?"

"Indeed, the tip of my jutte is coated in Seastone; now stand still and surrender!" - And so charged the smoke man, the candy boy wary but still meeting the charge with his own battle cry, a punch passing through Smoker's head as Luffy twisted out of the way of the jutte

Then Luffy did a very… _Luffy_ act, jumping and wrapping himself around the extended arm of Smoker, his hands almost desperately grasping on the body of his weapon, drawing a shout of surprise from him, as the boy with the straw hat grappled the weapon out of his hand

Or at least, attempted to, Smoker not giving in easily, the marine holding firm and shaking the hand with a monkey gripping it, smashing Luffy aside on the pavement. Still the boy held, finally getting a good hold and kicking aside the weapon from Smoker far away

It was rather comical, Luffy hanging on the underside of Smoker's arm, the pair looking at the dropped weapon, then at each other

"Fuck off!" - Smoker wasn't one to measure words, just finally punting the boy aside as he was at… an arm's length, and rushing to recover his jutte; to his surprise, Luffy recovered faster than he expected, and was running alongside him, shoulder tackling Smoker… or attempting to, as the man was made of smoke

The precious seconds wasted trying to push the smoke aside were enough for Smoker to reach his jutte first, but Luffy reached it soon after, dragging the weapon into the ground as Smoker tried to lift it into position. The duo trashed together some more, but then the marine found himself, again, with the boy between himself and his weapon, Luffy holding it and his back to Smoker's chest

Perfect position for the 'Straw Hat': - " _ **Candy~ Candy~ Conquest**_ ~!"

Separating, permanently, Smoker from his jutte, Luffy did, growing into a massive bubble of candy, pushing Smoker back and into the building behind the pair, the jutte serving as a strange and improvised wall, stopping Luffy from destroying the buildings in front of him. Luffy willed the bubble to stay, popping outside it with the jutte in hands, and coming to a choice

He could face everything that came his way, except a fellow Logia Devil Fruit user. So, why not take a weapon that dealt with that?

"Thanks, Smoker!" - And with that, Luffy ordered: - "Zoro, dealt with your girlfriend!?"

The swordsman tripped, almost letting the lass facing him slash him open, but he recovered: - " _ **Horse Chopper**_ " - And Wado Ichimonji cut open hands that only wanted the best for the blade, not realizing that the best was in the hands of Zoro, as her sword was raised to block, and the white blade slipped, bypassing the guard of Tashigi's sword and cutting her hand

Forced to drop Shigure, her own precious sword, Tashigi was forced to watch the blade she desired to free on her chin, disappointed with herself and almost crying, as she was unable to even force him to use a second sword, as she closed her eyes and prepared for the end, an end that never come: - "Open your eyes"

"W-what" - She did, and was surprised to see Zoro sheathing his blade: - "You want to take my blade, don't you?"

"Then surpass all!" - Tashigi blinked, sweaty from the exertion and confused with the comments: - "Discover your true self, discover the truth, and become stronger than all, even me! I shall wait at the top, alongside true legends; only when you reach me will you be able to take this sword from my cold and dead hands!"

And with those parting words, taken partially from Mihawk himself, Zoro followed his captain

* * *

"Usopp, Sanji! Man the sails! Gin, it's great to see you! Go for the rudder! Where's Luffy and Zoro" - Nami spoke, giving orders to the crew, who hastily moved to comply

"We got intercepted by marines on the way, including captain Smoker personally! They stayed behind! Who's that?" - Gin spoke, asking about the sickly green lion and the man riding it, who awkwardly waved as he ducked beneath shots from marines

"He's irrelevant! The marines are going to bring cannons soon enough! Are they coming or not!?" - Exclaimed Nami, slowly despairing. They needed their captain to depart to the Grand Line!

Fortunately, before she tore her hair, the captain and the swordsman of the crew soon appeared, the group soon entering the ship and departing, the storm strangely helpful, the winds blowing the Going Merry away from the harbour and the rain damaging the gunpowder and halting their cannon fire, the 'Straw Hats' guided by a lighthouse built specifically for the purpose of guiding daring adventurers to the entrance of the Grand Line

They sailed and sailed, partying for their victory, Luffy calling the crew, carrying a barrel of sake with him

"Yosh, everyone! Like this" - He demonstrated being the first to raise his leg and put it over the barrel, the crew forming a circle and following his example: - "Now, I'm going to be the Pirate King!" - And the rest of the crew didn't hesitate

"I'm going to be the greatest swordsman in the world!"

"I'm going to draw a world map!"

"I'm… I'm going to be a brave warrior of the seas!"

"I'm going to find the All Blue!"

"I will have my name heard around the world!"

And all together: - "Kampai!" - And they broke the lid of the barrel, all together delivering a strong enough kick, drinking merrily

Shortly after, they saw… it

When they thought of magnificence, Zoro saw Wado Ichimonji, Mihawk and his Yoru and, secretly, Kuina; Nami saw the wonders of the weather and of the ocean; Usopp his own bold tales; Sanji the finest dishes one can make on the All Blue; Gin the might of his blows and the blood spilt; and Luffy saw Ace and Sabo

Now they also saw the Red Line, the mountain that split their world in two, the chain of islands connected together to form a wall that cut even the mighty Grand Line. And they trembled

Luffy's was excitement rather than the rather sane fear one would expect, and he wasn't alone. Only Usopp, Nami, and not-so-surprisingly Gin were truly scared, really, and even then, it was tempered by happiness at getting one step closer to their objective

"Nami! How close we are; what do we do!" - Asked Luffy, trembling on his seat at the figurehead of the Merry

The navigator answered: - "Luffy! Just do as I say! Apparently, the entrance of the Grand Line requires us to go _up_ the Red Line!" - And various shouts of incredulity followed, except from Luffy, then all pausing at the same time as they turned to Gin, who did sail the Grand Line

He just shrugged his shoulders: - "We cheated and went through the Calm Belt, using our numbers to beat the Sea Kings. Still lost nine of our ships"

Luffy pouted, and Nami moved to facepalm, but reconsidered: - "Well, considering there was fifty ships, it _would_ be less risky… oh, doesn't matter" - She turned to point at her captain, giving orders to better approach the Red Line

Then, as they approached, they saw it, everyone gaping in amazement and incredulity, as they saw the channel built on the Red Line, with its many arches on the entrance to welcome daring adventurers. It wasn't all joy, however: - "Gin! We're going to hit the right wall!"

"Can't~ move~! The current is too-" - And as if to prove his point, the pole used to control the rudder snapped, breaking under the strain of facing both Gin's strength and the force of the ocean

As the crew more or less panicked at the prospect of colliding with the Red Line and failing before they even properly started their journey, Luffy decided that it was time, as the captain, to do what captains do and save his crew. Waiting for the right moment, he jumped from his perch, diving between the outer arch and the Going Merry, and shouting: - " _ **Candy Candy~ Fort**_!" - And turning into a massive bubble of soft candy

Unlike his 'conquest' technique, this one was more a cushioning bubble of syrup with a more resilient shell rather than a slab of rock solid candy, the ship bouncing on the balloon and correcting its course, much to the glee of the crew, which quickly turned to dread as Luffy turned back to normal over the seas; fortunately, a shout of - "And _**Pistol**_!" - Comforted them, Luffy's arm striking Merry's rear and gluing him to her, allowing their captain to slingshot himself over the ship and back into his special seat

"Woohoo! We're going so fast!" - He exclaimed, hugging his seat, as indeed the Merry was moving at high speed, carried by the strong current: - "Oh my god, we're reaching the clouds!"

"We're _past_ the clouds!" - Agreed Nami, the entire crew smiling with excitement

Laughing, Luffy shouted: - "Grand Line, here we come!" - And the little caravel erupted at the top of the Red Line, launched sky high and falling into the swirl at the top of the mountain, spinning before going down the proper path, into the most dangerous sea in the world

"Yahoo!" - And the crew could hardly wait

* * *

AN: Woo. That was a ride

Luffy against Smoker was more difficult than I though, mostly because it was about two almost imortal men facing each other, with the sole weakness a weapon that they both could compete for. It doesn't help that my muse is in a Harry Potter mood, so I sort of have been behind in my writting... Still, at least I was able to publish the last chapter of the East Blue Arc!

On to reviews: _**sudhush**_ , work more on Luffy's fights, hm? Ok! Hopefully Luffy vs Smoker will please you!

 _ **Lazymanjones96**_ , thanks for the review! It really helps to know my work is being appreciated!

 _ **Elfyliane**_ , I don't think they will come to blows; the lady will be sad at her brother's death, but I don't think she will actually become an enemy. Mind you, that's still a _long_ ~ way, so, who knows

And to our anonymous _**guest**_ , the pairings are: Luffy x Meat, Zoro x Kuina at the moment, and no, no necromancy will be involved, Usopp x Kaya, Nami x Money, Sanji x Cute girls, and Gin x No one yet. More seriously, pairings are a tricky business that should be approached in a way that doesn't feel forced, so, unfortunately, you'll have to wait a little before any actual pairing forms

And that's it for reviews!

On to canon changes: The biggest one is the Zoro vs Tashigi conflict. While Smoker will still chase after Luffy to the Grand Line, Tashigi is much more dedicated to her craft, since she received a direct challenge instead of a sort of rejection from Zoro, and Dragon just watched from afar the whole thing. He didn't even need to lightning bomb the execution's platform!

And a much smaller one is that the Seastone arsenal of the crew is growing. Nami has a dagger taken from Buggy _far_ back, and now Luffy stole Smoker's jutte, much to his annoyance

Oh, and thanks to the direct order, Nami didn't spend all her time on clothes shopping, much to Usopp's fortune; they did found a Log Pose, even if they still have no idea of how it works

And that's it for canon changes!

Thank you all for once again bothering to comment on my story, thank you all who read and follow and add it to their favourites, and I hope you all have a fine day!

Peace!


	10. Chapter 9 - First Obstacles

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 8 - The First Obstacles

* * *

"Woohoo!" - Came down the mountain

The Going Merry, the little caravel, had just finished climbing the Red Line, through mysterious channels that linked all four oceans of the world into one spot, before being funnelled to another channel by the currents powerful enough to climb the massive mountain, into the Grand Line, also known as 'the Pirate Graveyard' and by a select few, 'Paradise'

Spirits were flying high, literally too, as they flew into the clouds again, appearing below them, fortunately without rain, unlike their entrance. Gin was the only one not celebrating their first step into the greatest adventure in the real world, instead stroking his chin as he tried to remind something really important

Nothing came up, yet 'the Ogre' still believed something really important was coming up, and he finally remembered, as a loud moaning noise, making all pause: - "Fuck!"

"What is it, Gin!?" - Asked the captain of the crew, seeing the almost stricken look on his fighter's face

Gin pointed forward, and spoke, his face frozen in an expression of panic: - "There's an island whale living at the end of the channel!"

A beat, and an echoed shout of: - "What!?"

"Stop the Merry!" - "How, you nitwit!?" - Called Luffy, receiving a dope slap from Nami, the girl almost falling as Luffy was hanging on his seat; the crew more or less ran around like headless chickens, until another moan had them clutching their heads, as the sound stunned them with its sheer loudness

"Luffy!" - Called Usopp, using his glasses to spy forward, and scared out of his mind: - "T-the channel is ex-expanding, a-and there's s-something blue o-o-on the w-way that I-I don't think it is w-water!"

From his coat, the captain drew a spyglass, because what pirate captain wouldn't have one, and also looked forward, and blanched, as indeed a blue something that was not water stood in front of them. And it was massive

"That's a whale!?" - Came from Nami, drawing Luffy from his stupor, the boy, spying an opening, pointing at the cabin: - "Crew! Maximum force to port!"

And the crew tried, they really did; but with Merry's steering post broken and the violent currents, it was an impossible battle, Zoro, Gin and Sanji trying at the same time to move the stump that remained, the rudder staying as straight as the channel itself

As the ship approached, Luffy had one of those moments of brilliance that only he could have, as the simplest solution presented itself; entering the chamber below the figurehead, Luffy put his hands on the cannon present there, and thanked whatever god existed that he bothered Usopp into teaching him how to fire it

The blast echoed and slowed the ship severely, especially as it finally collided with the giant whale, breaking its figurehead, drawing a frown from Luffy, but fortunately, they had more important things to think about: - "T-the cannon" - "We stopped?"

"Oi, you idiots" - Shouted Usopp: - "What are you doing! Row! Row the Merry away from that thing!"

And the crew didn't hesitate, as, while being ordered around by Usopp of all people felt rather weird, the other alternative was staying in the face of a giant whale, who could easily dive and capsize their little caravel, the crew hastily rowing their ship away from the massive cetacean

They rested a little, and the crew realized something: - "… Luffy?" - Their captain, their boisterous, happy-go-lucky captain, was weeping openly, hugging the fallen head of the Merry, as apparently, quote: - "Merry lost her head~"

Though, the crew didn't quite understand the repeated mantra, as the tears and sobs made translation into their language impossible. Fortunately, they had metal plates and said head fell on the ship, so it was only a matter of time to repair the Merry's figurehead and put it back in its proper place

It did end with Luffy hugging Usopp, the repairman, much to his discomfort, as Luffy declared Usopp his most favourite person on the ship

Then the whale dived, the waves almost sunk the Merry, and the 'Straw Hats' desperately rowed away from the beast

* * *

"Woo, that was _scary_ " - The crew found a small port village, completely deserted, the inhabitants running away from the mysterious pirate crew, as it is better to be safe than sorry

Nami stretched, wearing a cyan shirt with a blue heart, and commented, agreeing with her captain: - "Uhum, I fear what'd happen if Gin had forgotten"

"Knowing our luck, we'd be eaten and still find a way to get out" - The man, hearing his name being spoken, spoke too

The crew was more or less relaxing, after their brush with a very unusual death, and all looked baffled as the whale emerged, and they realized there was a massive door on its side, a door that a few moments later opened, much to their surprise, an iron boat that resembled an island sailing from it

That was how they met Crocus, caretaker of the lighthouse of Twin Peaks, as the man glared at them from within his boat. The man was bald at the top of his head, but with white hair at the sides of his head and what appeared to be blue and yellow petals around his head, with a white beard split into two bards; stocky and muscular, the man was also wearing a pink shirt with a yellow and green stripe in the middle, blue-grey shorts, and sandals, with three golden bracelets and another with green gems on his left arm

And finishing the look, glasses, from which he glared above of, staring into the very soul of the 'Straw Hat' pirates

"Who… are you?" - Asked Nami, hiding behind Gin, much to his amusement

A beat, as the man glared at them, and the crew, sweating, stared in turn

After a few seconds of serious silence: - "You know, it is just polite to introduce yourself when you want to know about someone"

"Ah, hahaha, sure, I'm Nami, and-" - "My name is Crocus, I was born on the fourth of January, my type blood is AB-"

"Are you serious!" - Exclaimed the ginger, as Gin hastily stopped her from jumping at him: - "Let go of me! I'll beat the crap out of him!"

"I recommend you don't do that. Somebody might-" - "Stop laughing, you jerk!" - Crocus' implied threat went unheard, as Gin finally gave in, laughing in Nami's face and receiving a slap in turn, finally releasing the tangerine-haired girl

The flower-like old man squinted his eyes, and finally spoke: - "I recognize you from somewhere"

Nodding, Gin reintroduced himself: - "I'm Gin, I was here with 'Don' Krieg a month ago"

"Really? What are you doing here now?" - And as 'the Ogre' spoke easily with the caretaker of the whale, Nami giving him the stink eye, the crew truly learned of Crocus, caretaker not only of the lighthouse, but also Laboon, the whale abandoned fifty years ago by its adoptive crew, the cetacean now crying to the Red Line, refusing to believe he was abandoned and repeatedly ramming onto the mountain, desiring to break it in two and go to the other side to meet his family, believing it to be stuck on the other side

Nami and Usopp cried openly, much to Gin's awkwardness, as the girl did so on his shoulder, while the rest of the crew was sombre, except Luffy. Luffy was planning to jump in the air, and punch the whale in the face, to challenge it into a duel and give it something else to focus on, but Zoro knew his captain and Usopp his best friend, and thus Luffy found himself jumping inside a barrel and quickly hammered into place, Zoro standing on Usopp's shoulders to catch their captain

Some small talk followed, Crocus teaching how to actually use the Log Pose, the unique compass needed to navigate the Grand Line; it would lock down on the magnetic field of a neighbour island, and would guide the travellers to the next island in a trail of island to island, allowing for the actual navigation on the Grand Line and its insane weather, until its final destination, Raftel and, supposedly, One Piece

"Hm, almost forgot" - Finally, as he said goodbye, Crocus dumped two people in front of him. One was a woman with cyan hair and sharp features, dressed in a rather provocative blue top with lighter concentric circles on her breasts and belly, white short shorts, all under a pale green coat with white fur lining around the neck; the other was a man wearing a golden crown over his red hair, two nines on his cheeks, wearing a green suit with white lace and a red ruffled scarf

"When you sail away, do dump these two far away into the ocean, okay? I've grown tired of these two trying to hurt Laboon" - And he went back into his boat, rowing back into the opening on the side of Laboon, closing it and going away

His comment clearly drew outrage of the pair, but they bottled up their anger and simply stared sullenly at the crew in front of them, tied up and extremely flustered, having fired bazookas at the old coot and the man not only living, but trouncing them too!

"So, who are you? I'm Luffy" - Finally, after an awkward staring contest, Luffy broke free from his barrel, gaining an incredulous stare from the pair: - "I'm Miss Wednesday…" - "And I am Mister Nine" - "What… were you doing in the barrel?"

"I/He wanted to fight the whale" - Glibly answered Luffy, Zoro also giving his own, more deadpan answer, drawing further incredulity from the pair, and a comment from Usopp: - "Yeah, our captain is insane. But only we can call him that!"

"So, Miss Wednesday" - Then the lass flinched, as Luffy appeared dangerously close to her: - "What 'cha doing?" - "W-What?" - "What did you do to piss off the flower-guy?"

"… Whaling" - "What?" - "… We were trying to hunt down the whale. It would feed our city for at least a year" - Humming his understanding, Luffy could see what was the cause of the conflict; no way in hell would old man Crocus let anyone hurt his friend! But as he looked at the tied-up couple in front of him, Luffy couldn't get himself to be angry

Finally, Luffy decided: - "You know, you aren't bad people, are you?" - "Eh?" - "I like you two. Shishishishi"

"Say, what do you two think of joining my crew?" - Their exclamation of confusion was much louder this time, the sharp-faced lass recovering first

"E-even if we wanted, we could not. We already are part of an organization that prizes itself in its secrecy. Please, don't make me say anything more" - She spoke, sharply and looking away from Luffy, refusing to see his pout

"Perhaps you could help us instead, if you like us so much?" - Started Mister Nine, Miss Wednesday continuing right after

"You see, our boat was quite damaged by the many storms one suffers while travelling through the Grand Line" - "And with the disapproval of the _caretaker_ , there's little chance we'll find someone willing to repair it"

"So, if perhaps you could offer us a ride home~?" - Finished the lass, pouting cutely as she stared at Luffy, bending a little to flash some cleavage

Luffy, naturally, didn't even notice it: - "Hm? Sure! Say, how do we know we're locked in the right magnetic field, though?"

"Eh, I have a map with me" - And Miss Wednesday did pull a map from her coat, containing instructions to reach Whiskey Peak, the sole city in Cactus Island

And as Sanji fawned over Miss Wednesday and more or less poked Mister Nine onto the Going Merry, Nami, with the map and the Log Pose pointing at the right direction, approached her captain, asked: - "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, they aren't bad people, so I don't expect anything" - "Hm. If you say so, Luffy, I'll trust you" - But it was clear from her face that, while she might trust her captain, she didn't trust _them_

* * *

Of course, the real challenge was reaching Cactus Island. The weather could only be described as…

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE WEATHER!?" - Nami outright stomped on Zoro's sleeping head, forcing him awake and already barking orders: - "Help Usopp with the sails! Turn hard to star- Wait, turn only slightly to starboard! And- Oh the snowstorm is abating and- Ignore previous order Usopp! Turn hard to port!"

… Complete and utter unmitigated chaos. One moment, the ocean was relatively peaceful, if slightly wavy, then the waves became so great they almost ate the little caravel, the raindrops as big as full buckets, then the rain giving way to a snowstorm of colossal proportions, followed by a massive hurricane appearing out of nowhere, followed by a heat stroke that almost incinerated the sails

And it repeated and looped and alternated in many ways, and mixed too, the entire crew and guests pausing for the memorable sight of the heat stroke _igniting the hurricane_. Usopp and Nami's panicked screams soon followed

Still, the chaotic weather soon passed, the ship swaying under the gentle waves of a summer breeze, Zoro stretching his neck as he scratched his chin: - "Did you really need to wake me up? It seemed like something you could deal on your-" - "Shut up shut up _shut up_!"

Nami didn't approve of the comment, and the swordsman was left blinking dazed as the waif slapped him silly, the green-haired man baffled with the situation and growling as Sanji fawned over his 'Nami dear' and how cute she was when angry

"Indeed, all help is necessary for survival on this sea. The Grand Line is not known for its mercy" - Commented Miss Wednesday, swaying her hips as she walked, Mister Nine right behind her, the man also commenting: - "Basically, you deserved that"

"And what are you two doing here?" - Muttered Zoro angrily, interrupted, this time, by his captain: - "Woah! Those cactus are massive!"

"The plural of cactus is cacti, captain" - Pointed out Usopp

"Well well~" - "It was indeed an arduous journey" - "But we are afraid this is goodbye" - Spoke the pair, synchronized like any good team, the pair then saying together: - "Bye bye baby~!" - Before jumping backwards from their position on the railing of the Merry and into the ocean and swimming away

"Welp, that happened" - Commented Luffy, before pointing: - "Alright, forward! After we put some non-drenched clothes" - Which was only sane, considering the sheer chaos they faced

Luffy went back to an outfit similar to the one he started, his red vest under a black coat with gold linings, and blue shorts alongside sandals and his ever-present straw hat. Nami changed into a black shirt with 'NODE' written in pink on her chest. Usopp changed from his overalls for a white shirt and brown pants filled with pockets, not changing his brown boots and the glasses he bought in Loguetown

Sanji simply traded his suit for a dry one, through at least changing his dress shirt from the blue one to a white one. Gin, without the shadows under his eyes after weeks of good sleep, wore now a long sleeved black shirt, to better hide blood splatters, khaki trousers, and black shoes

Even Zoro changed clothes, wearing a dark green shirt forced onto him by Nami, alongside actually black pants and shoes, though not even the ginger could make him abandon his green haramaki and bandana, both which he insisted in wringing out dry, his swords resting on his side

And so, they approached Cactus Island, the island covered by mist as they entered into a river that, from what Usopp could spy through the mist, cut through the entire island. The rocks were huge, each one indeed resembling a cactus, but they were rather nervous, especially as Usopp identified the thorns as several tombstones, triggering his 'I can't go into this island' Disease

Luffy questioned his sniper about such a strangely named and specific disease, but, to the tanned teen's reprieve, the mist faded, and the many shades alongside the coast revealed themselves. As if timed just for that, the shouts and screams of approval and delight washed over the crew

"Wah! So many cute girls!" - Sanji was instantly conquered, and even Usopp miraculously recovered: - "Holy crap, they like us!" - But the rest of the crew looked at each other, instincts of a bounty hunter, a cat burglar, a human demon and a wild beast all screaming the same thing: trap

Even if they did appear rather genuine. The party that celebrated their arrival was led by a man who introduced himself as Igarappoi, who had an irritating habit of clearing his throat every few words, the mayor of Whiskey Peak, and that the city celebrated 'brave warriors of the sea', also known as pirates, for their bravery and courage in facing the Grand Line

As Usopp more or less gushed at the specific wording, desiring to be recognized as a brave warrior of the sea himself, he was practically conquered already, joining the people in their silly dance. Sanji himself was surrounded by cute ladies, all wanting to drag him away to dance and date on their own, the cook somehow making them accept all twenty something of them in a group date

And just because the crew was aware that it was a trap, didn't mean they did not join it. Gin and Zoro out-drunk everyone in Whiskey Peak, 'fainting' after drinking twenty kegs each of what was probably absinthe, considering the alcohol content and taking almost a quarter of the male population and some of the female with them, in a drinking competition that ended with Nami as the winner, drinking the keg number twenty-one and 'sleeping' with her prize, a pouch filled with golden coins

Luffy himself drank only a little, lying and saying that his Devil Fruit made him super vulnerable to poisons, including alcohol, when the opposite was true, and practically ended the party when he said: - "Good night!" - Took a keg for himself, and fell, the entire crew long asleep, even if less than half actually were knocked out

It was more because his devil form was really attention catching, and he needed a little of stealth for this to work: - "Nami, you're awake?"

"Yup" - The ginger was not only awake, she was downright chirpy, as she cuddled with her bag: - "What's the plan, captain?"

"Can you take Usopp and Sanji back to the Merry? Gin, Zoro and I will deal with things here"

"I'll… need to take them one at a time, but as long as you make a good enough distraction, sure!" - And as the tangerine-haired lass gave him a thumbs-up, the ones named by Luffy also standing up

Zoro was the one who asked: - "That didn't actually answer her question, captain" - Indeed, Nami actually paused from her act of dragging Sanji in a fireman's carry to stare quizzically at Luffy

Nodding, Luffy grinned: - "After she puts Sanji and Usopp in a safe place, she'll rob everything that's not nailed down, then the nails and everything that's not nailed anymore" - And the ginger hastily ran, carrying the blond cook in the blink of an eye, loving the plan already

"Then, to ensure she succeeds, we'll cause the biggest distraction we can. Let's go boys"

"Captain" - Zoro, however, still had words to say: - "About Mister Nine and Miss Wednesday, there's some info I think you'll like to have"

* * *

"So they were the ones to bring you here after you failed your mission" - Igarappoi spoke, fingering the saxophone on his hand. He is a relatively large and big man, with a red nose not as large as Buggy's but still prominent, and was dressed in a blue suit over a white shirt, his hair an almost white blond made of large curls: - "Almost a shame to have them killed then, but business is business"

"Are they even worth anything? They seemed more like kids having fun than actual pirates" - Pointed out Miss Wednesday, the lass and her partner staring together at the man more commonly known as Mister Eight. She could only gape as he withdrew not one, but two papers

One was of Gin, 'the Ogre', the man with a wicked grin on his face as he spun one of his tonfas in the background, preparing to crush a hapless target, with the value of five million Bellys: - "According to this, he is actually from the crew of 'Foul Play' Krieg, worthy seventeen million Bellys, but clearly something happened and the poster wasn't updated yet"

The words were unheard by the pair in front of him, both staring in surprise at the second poster, one containing a grinning teen with a straw hat on his head, his hands brushing together to clear then of dirt, the photo taken when he dumped the corrupt Nezumi and the band of defeated fishmen into the small pot used by Hachi, the really attention catching detail being the bounty of thirty million Bellys that 'Straw Hat' Luffy had

"Surprising, isn't it? He defeated all the big names of the East Blue, including a fishman worthy twenty million" - Declared Mister Eight, drawing a snort from behind him

"Well, at least they're all fast asleep. We had to spike the drinks so much our own men are out" - The woman, identified by twin queries of 'Miss Monday', was dark-skinned, and even bigger and more muscular than her partner, Mister Eight, removing a nun outfit to reveal a short red and white dress with a diamond pattern and pink hair in short twin-tails

Unfortunately, her words were heard by those they least expected: - "And why would you spike the drinks?"

Behind them, was no one other than Luffy, sitting in the edge of a building, looking like an amused parent waiting to hear a child's excuse after catching them with the hand on the cookie jar

"A-aren't you supposed to be super weak to alcohol!? We gave you one of the spiked kegs!" - Exclaimed the mayor of the city, as shady individuals slowly exited buildings and houses, all with a weapon of sort, all in position to attack: - "Didn't you say your Devil Fruit made you weak to poisons!?"

"I lied" - Admitted Luffy: - "Instincts told me this was a trap, and it appear it was, really. Are you all bounty hunters?"

"Looks like, captain" - The main quartet, and almost all other bounty hunters, turned to face Gin, standing alongside Zoro on the rooftops of the bar they had partied

Zoro continued, the green-haired swordsman drawing Yubashiri: - "Only one thing left to know, then. Right, Baroque Works?"

 _Everyone_ below flinched, and Zoro and Gin grinned wickedly at having the swordsman's suspicions confirmed, even Luffy's smile gaining a more vicious edge. Baroque Works was an organization that tried to recruit Zoro long ago, but the bounty hunter refused, unless he was made the boss; the man who tried to recruit him, known then only as Mister Seven, met his end then at Zoro's blade, having tried to silence Zoro and keep Baroque Works a secret, even though the swordsman couldn't care less about it

"Still keeping the same silly number naming system, I see" - Muttered Zoro, as he dived head first into combat, Gin cackling manically, spinning his tonfas and following the first mate of the 'Straw Hats', as Luffy jumped, going away from the fight, into the tallest building of Whiskey Peak

"What are you doing!?" - "Well, Zoro and Gin are easily the strongest members of the crew" - Right behind himself and drawing with Sanji, if Luffy was completely honest: - "If they actually need any help, I'll be genuinely surprised; so I'll just watch. Also, behind you"

Mister Eight actually heeded the warning, pointing his saxophone behind him and shouting: - "Igarappa" - And, to the surprise of Luffy, from it was fired a spray of bullets, much like a shotgun or blunderbuss

Not that it helped much; Gin had literally trampled most on his path or smashed them aside with his weapons, and the spread barely fazed him, who just twitched as the bullets grazed his body, his opponent having fired too early with 'the Ogre' too far away to actually hit

Miss Monday acted in defence of her partner, however, swinging a massive ladder with a mook still hanging on at the charging man; Gin ducked under the massive improvised weapon, and slammed his own forward, crushing the ladder and nearly crushing Mister Eight

As Gin, ahem, _entertained_ the quartet of agents, Zoro called out, blocking a cutlass with his own katana: - "Oi, captain! Sure you don't want to join?"

"Nah, you two got it" - Besides, Luffy actually had a reason for staying out. He noticed the vulture and otter shadowing the crew ever since they left Twin Capes, so he was understandably wary of them; trained small animals were actually the worst sort of opponent the captain of the 'Straw Hats' could think of, simply because their small size and unusual proportions made it a complete bitch to hit them

He had some pebbles with himself, and he was a good thrower; and while the type of beast he hunted tended to be bigger than a house, he believed he had enough skill to strike down the animals that shadowed them

That, and he knew that his crew's more bloodthirsty fighters needed to get said bloodlust out of their system. Gin was a monster on the battlefield, having already sent Mister Nine flying and contending with Mister Eight, Miss Monday and Miss Wednesday at the same time, the last woman riding a giant duck, of all things, while Zoro toyed with his enemies, testing his newly gained swords in the many weak opponents

The green-haired swordsman even had the gall to make a snack pause mid-fight, entering and exiting the bar with a piece of meat on hands, Kitetsu the Third on his left hand, frowning as he slashed away: - "Hm, sharp, aren't you?" - The fact that he slashed at a hammer and the man wielding it with the same motion had him frowning: - "Too sharp! What an unruly blade…"

Snorting at hearing the comment, Luffy started looking around, coming face to face with a ladder with a few hapless bounty hunters, all who cried in despair as Luffy simply pushed the ladder down. Seeing the gunshots coming towards him, all missing, Luffy muttered: - "Well… _you_ were the ones who dragged me into the fight, not the other way around"

Then he grinned a sickly, maniac grin, also in place on Gin's face, and jumped

If it was already a slaughter between Zoro's swords and Gin's wrecking balls, Luffy's arsenal of techniques just made it more unfair; in no time at all, one hundred bounty hunters were defeated by the trio, Zoro taking the majority as his captain joined later and Gin focused mostly on the numbered agents

Said agents still had a bit of fight in then, even as Mister Eight's strange weapon was crushed, standing with a cutlass taken from a fallen comrade in hands, blood dripping from his forehead from a mere glancing blow; Miss Monday right behind, a knuckleduster in hands, even as only one of them could be raised, the other a bruised, bloody mess

Through, the lesser team had much less luck. The duck had long ran away, carrying his unconscious mistress on his back, the lass practically missing her left arm, having her weapon, a jewelled blade on a string, the tiny flail ensnared by Gin's tonfas and the poor girl bodily flung on a building, her partner also meeting the weapon much more directly, a direct blow to the face that left him toothless and luckily only knocked out

"Kyahaha, so much trouble with a merry band of pirates!? How pathetic!" - "Indeed. One would expect better from frontier agents"

"Are you trying to reveal more secrets!?" - Shouted Mister Eight, as he, and everyone still conscious turned to stare at the pair he shouted at, the ones of Baroque Works cheering, even as the duck of Miss Wednesday, still carrying its unconscious rider, ran past them as fast as it could. Which is pretty damn fast

The one who laughed was a pretty fair-skinned woman, with blonde short hair under a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, with lemon earrings completing the motif and white heeled shoes, a yellow umbrella with blue stripes on her shoulder. And if the woman looked rather cheery, her partner simply did not, a dark-skinned man with short dreadlocks, dressed in a brown trench coat with a pink cravat and a five written over his heart and on his left shoulder

"Mister Five, Miss Valentine! Help us! These pirates already know of Baroque Works, somehow!" - Exclaimed the mayor. The answer wasn't the one he desired, but one that kept him awake for long nights

"The boss had a word about you, Mister Eight. Or should I say, Igaram, captain of the royal guard of the Alabasta royal family? He said, 'Someone knows my secret'"

"W-what-" - "Kyahaha, he didn't send us a support for you weaklings" - Laughed Miss Valentine: - "He send us to kill you and the other pesky spy!" - And in her partner hands, was a photo of Miss Wednesday, much softer and younger looking, but still recognizable

"Your time has come, Igaram and princess Vivi Nefertari"

" _ **Igarappappa**_!" - The answer of Igaram had even Gin blinking through his haze, as the man pulled on his red necktie, gun barrels poking out of his hair culls and firing, blasts surrounding the Baroque Works affiliated pair: - "I, Igaram, as long as I live, will not let you touch a single hair of princess Vivi!"

"And is Nefeltari, your ignoramus!" - He followed up by firing up, the explosions causing laugher from above, strangely enough

"Wait, so I was right and Miss Wednesday is not a bad guy?" - And in the middle of the confusion, Luffy regrouped with his fighting crew and muttered to himself. Zoro answered still: - "So it seems. Last I remember, this Baroque Works is based around secrecy. Perhaps because their work is illegal?"

"Ah, so Miss Wednesday and Mister Mayor are outright good guys!" - Declared Luffy, even as a petite weight cratered the ground in front of said Mister Mayor, the man hastily retreating, Miss Monday swinging her good arm into the crater to find the lariat deflected by Miss Valentine's delicate umbrella

It somewhat inspired the crew, realizing that the quartet that Gin beat up was ultimately friendly, even towards each other, willing to lay their lives on the line for a pair of practically strangers, if they did address each other by their codename only

Grunting, Gin asked: - "So, we change targets?" - And he barely received an affirmative from his captain before he roared, charging at Mister Five, who revealed himself unscathed from the explosive munitions from Igaram

"Zoro, I know you're not Sanji, but could you check on Miss Wednesday?" - "Sure thing, captain" - And as the swordsman, satisfied with the test for his new swords, rushed after the panicked duck, much to his bemusement; Luffy charged into the battlefield, even as Mister Five exploded and actually sent Gin back a few steps

Those steps were meaningless, 'the Ogre' covering the distance with a single leap and exploding again alongside his opponent. Luffy, meanwhile, launched a candy pistol at his opponent, Miss Valentine just having gotten herself out of her crater

Miss Valentine did so by punting aside the much bigger Miss Monday, and was caught completely off guard by the slimy substance that Luffy could produce: - "Kya~! Gross, what the hell is this!?" - Then Luffy let go, his legs twisting as he prepared to land feet first on the lady. She was not expecting the assault at all, and the first technique glued itself at her when she was standing on one foot, having just kicked Miss Monday, and was thus completely unprepared to defend herself

She was much more prepared, after rolling to a stop, to at least evade from Luffy's follow-up, a lengthened heel kick: - " _ **Candy Candy Axe**_!"

Rolling further away, the woman stood up, laughing and taunting Luffy: - "Kyahaha, my, looking for a fight, little boy?"

"Yeah; I kinda like Miss Wednesday" - He said, scratching his cheek, drawing further guffaws from the lass: - "So I'll protect them and kick your ass"

Sneering, she asked: - "And what makes you think you stand a chance against me?" - And the answer was interrupted by a blast right behind the pair: - "Woah, look out, Mister Five!"

"S-sorry! But this one just don't die!" - Exclaimed said man, far closer to the blonde than she expected. Gin himself was laughing like a maniac, slamming down his weights on the ground, Mister Five stepping back and calling out: - "Snipe him!" - Before exploding, the girl taken away by the blast and flying high in the sky with her umbrella

"On it! Kyahaha! _**Ten Thousand Kilo Press**_!" - And she fell, right on top of Gin: - "Geh!?" - And right on time to receive a tonfa to her stomach, 'the Ogre' twisting and spinning to slam his weapon with force, sending the girl bouncing, in spite of her supposed weight

"Two Devil Fruit users, huh?" - Noted Gin, as Mister Five exclaimed: - "M-miss Valentine! Out of the way!" - And he exploded, as Luffy tried to get him

"So, what _are_ you?" - Asked the boy, a punch being evaded by the dark-skinned, the man trying to touch Luffy but failing as he was forced to retreat from a heel kick: - "I'm a candy man. And I heard them all, so don't even try"

"I'm a bomb man, and I'm going to blow you to smithereens!" - Declared Mister Five with a snort, preparing to jump forward and explode his entire body to kill Luffy… only to be punched aside mid-flight, the captain of the 'Straw Hats' not even paying attention

"Hm, nice. Hey Gin! Dealt with her!?" - The only answer he received was a grunt, through soon after 'the Ogre' calmed down, and gave a real answer: - "She broke one of my tonfas…" - "… What?"

"I think her power was to made herself heavier, so instead of striking what appeared to be a fifty kilograms' waif, I slammed my weapon in a slab of meat weighting a few tons. My tonfa didn't support the impact" - He raised said weapon and, sure enough, the cannonball at the tip was gone

"How did that happen?" - Asked Luffy, baffled with the situation

Shrugging his shoulders, Gin actually answered: - "I smashed her face in. Knocked her out in one blow"

"Hm, me too… that was disappointing"

"At least we dealt with them, then" - Declared Gin, rotating his shoulders

"Ahem, mah~ mah~ mah~" - Came from behind them: - "Indeed, you did" - "Mister Mayor!"

"Call me Igaram, 'Straw Hat'. Thank you for the help"

"Shishishi, no problem! I knew you weren't really bad guys!" - "Though, who _exactly_ are you?" - Laughed Luffy, and asked Gin

"I am Igaram, captain of the royal guard of the royal family of Alabasta-"

"No offence, but we did hear that. You weren't particularly quiet" - Luffy interrupted: - "It would be more accurate to ask _what_ are you, and _why_ ; a bounty hunter, the captain of Alabasta, something else"

"Ah, well, before I forget… did you see princess Vivi? I haven't since your brute" - He glared, surprisingly nastily, at Gin: - "Threw her at a building"

"Well, I sent Zoro after her, and-" - And here Luffy realized a flaw on his plan. He sent Zoro after a duck, one that was scared out of his mind

And he laughed, as Zoro came calling: - "Somebody stop that bloody duck!" - And ran as fast as he could, left behind in the dust by said duck, who ran with the unconscious girl still on his back

And that was how 'Straw Hat' Luffy got himself into the biggest mess possible on the first quarter of Paradise

* * *

AN: And that's a chapter. Now, unfortunately, I have some bad news

University is coming up. It starts for me on the Friday the sixth; thankfully, I won't have classes on Saturday, so I believe I'll be able to release at least another chapter before classes bog me down

Oh well, there are things one _must_ do, even if we don't particularly like them

Also, completely unrelated, Nefeltari, or Nefertari? The wiki uses both

Review time: _**sudhush**_ , thank you for your review, and yeah, Logia fights are... _interesting_ , to write. Which is just a polite way to say they're a pain

And _**Elfyliane**_ , don't worry about Smokey, he's a big man and, more importantly, a marine; they have reserve weapons by the bulk. And Zoro... isn't quite embarrassed by Tashigi, but to him it was like facing a child Kuina; even more than just a physical resemblance, Tashigi acts just like Kuina did before her death; if anything, he's extremely unsettled

Canon Divergence time: There's only one this time, and poor poor Laboon, not having the 'Straw Hats' jolly roger to stop his grief. Don't worry, fans of the whale and of Brook, while the crew refused to let Luffy be suicidally reckless, there's no way in hell I'll kill Laboon. Brook would find a way to manifest on the real world and kill me if I did

And surprisingly, the Battle of Whiskey Peak is _not_ divergent. Zoro did curbstomp one hundred bounty hunters alone before, and he and Luffy, while fighting, didn't even notice the Mister Five pair, defeating them in one blow; the addition of Gin and later, Luffy, just made the fight easier, especially as the two strongest 'Straw Hats' weren't at each other throats, instead focusing on the poor sods

And that's the author notes. Leave a comment and review, thank you for your attention, and 'till next time

Peace!


	11. Chapter 10 - The Little Garden

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 9 - The Little Garden

* * *

In the end, Igaram was able to convince Carue, the duck, that the 'Straw Hat' crew was now friendly. Carue was not a giant duck, he was, specifically, a 'super spot-billed duck', a type of duck as fast as a leopard

Made the fact that Zoro was successfully chasing it all the most impressive, really

Vivi herself would only wake up with a shout of pain, as Gin forcibly pushed her arm back in place, having been the one to previously dislocate it. She trashed a little on his grip, before Igaram calmed her down: - "Princess, they're now our friends!" - He exclaimed, the lass pausing to stare at her friend

She only truly calmed down after looking around, and seeing that indeed, the fighting had stopped

"So… thank you? You can release me now" - And Gin hastily did, glad the girl stopped squirming and more than willing to let her go, as she gazed distrustfully at him and swung her newly restored shoulder, wincing at the mild pain still present

Small talk issued, from Luffy gently asking if she was alright, which was answered curtly, Igaram apologizing for his princess, admitting the both of them were somewhat scared of such strong people, making the 'Straw Hat' captain chuckle weakly, even as a blushing Vivi berated her bodyguard

"So, what is Baroque Works" - Asked Luffy, finally getting to the point he was curious about: - "I mean, Zoro knew about them because they wanted to recruit him, so I assume they're involved in bounty hunting, but by your positions and their, ahem, _treatment_ , of you two, I assume that there's more"

Vivi, her face much softer, thanks to the removal of layers of make-up with a handkerchief, nodded: - "Bounty hunting is one of the main money gathering methods of Baroque Works, yes" - Then she frowned: - "Their true purpose, however, is to take over Alabasta, my home, to make into _his_ own personal playground"

"The playground of who?" - "… Mister Zero, the boss of Baroque Works" - "And who's he?"

Luffy latest question had a much more extreme reaction, the girl panicking and rushing to shut him up with her hands: - "D-don't ask that! He's my problem to deal with! I-I t-thank you for your offer to help, but Crocodile is someone on a completely different level than-" - And her hands went to Luffy's mouth to her own, the boy blinking as it registered she just spilled the name of Mister Zero

"You're not very smart, are you?" - Asked Luffy, Nami asking more or less the same thing, but much more rudely, soon the tangerine-haired girl getting into a ball of dust with Igaram for cussing at the princess, much to his amusement

"I-I'm s-sorry~, I didn't meant to say it~" - And Luffy laughed at the situation, only stopping at a flurry besides the group, even the ball of dust disappearing, Nami on top of Igaram and strangling the man, at the same time he pulled her hair

On top of a building close by, rested an otter and a vulture. If not strange enough, both of them were wearing sunglasses at night, the otter appeared to be wearing a baby's onesie, and was drawing on a sheet of paper

"Who-" - "T-those're the Unluckies! They report directly to Mister Zero!" - Exclaimed Igaram, interrupting and answering Nami's question

Then the other revealed four sheets, not one, and each one had an extremely accurate drawing of the four present 'Straw Hats', much to Luffy's awe: - "Woo! Nice trick! Want to join my crew?" - All he received was deadpan stares from everyone present, the otter climbing on the vulture and the pair flying away shortly after

"So, who's this Crocodile?" - Asked Zoro, mostly for the sake of his captain, who'd be the one to face him, as the captain always fights the captain

"He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea" - Started Vivi, drawing a moan of pain from Nami, the ginger being comforted by Igaram, as if they hadn't been at each other's throat: - "He poses as the 'Hero of Alabasta', using his Devil Fruit to repel invading pirates"

"But behind the scenes, he's been fuelling the rebellion; he planted Dance Powder on the royal palace, making it appear that the king was stealing the nation's rain" - She then explained what Dance Powder was: a green powder that, when burned, would cause rain, by maturing clouds that weren't ready yet, and stopping them from reaching places that would receive it naturally

Nami quickly caught on: - "So, while the country dried up, Alubarna would keep receiving rain"

"Yes; what was seen as the 'King's Miracle' turned into a crime father did not commit, and thus the rebellion started"

"But now we have proof" - Vivi spoke, a hint of triumph in her otherwise stoic voice: - "My word will be enough to stop the rebellion; father will be able to start a proper investigation and get him arrested, and the rebel leader will halt his armies"

Nami and Gin expressed doubt that it would be that simple, but Vivi explained that the leader of the rebels was a teen called Kohza, only a little older than her, and he was a personal friend of hers since their childhood: - "He would have no reason to doubt me" - She spoke with certainty

Luffy, nodding, declared then: - "Very well guys, to the Merry! Mister Guard, when does the Log Pose adjusts to the next island?"

"Less than a day, to be honest" - He admitted, to the amusement of Luffy: - "Then let's go!" - And they did, Luffy dragging Vivi and Igaram by the hand

* * *

By the time the Going Merry was far away from Whiskey Peak and Cactus Island, a massive explosion roared from the city

Igaram was particularly nervous about it, as he explained: - "T-that was a-a de-decoy b-boat I h-had p-p-prepared"

"Mister Five must have paid a visit to it before going after you" - Deduced Gin, as Sanji and Usopp finally woke up, startled by the blast

It took some time to convince the two that Whiskey Peak had been an ambush, but Vivi was quick to convince the cook, and Usopp only needed to be reminded of the tombstones for spikes of the massive mountains for his 'disease' to act up, helped by Igaram fully explaining their situation and what exactly they got themselves into

Even Luffy flinched at the idea of facing a _sand_ man in a _desert_ , upon hearing what exactly Crocodile's Devil Fruit was; he could at least start preparing, even if Zoro continuously berated him as he attempted to use the jutte stolen from Smoker, treating the weapon like a sort of blunt sword and trying to teach his captain about swordsmanship

It was a waste of the full potential of the weapon, at least according to Igaram, but Luffy was so used to being a brawler rather than a proper fighter that everything went into one ear and out the other

The royal guard had also changed clothes, changing from his mayor outfit for a loose set of cream robes under a black coat, with a stripped cyan and gold sash and sandals on his feet

During one of these classes, they received a rather… peculiar, visitor

Luffy was standing on Merry's head, Zoro and Igaram behind him, trying to instruct their captain in the ways of the sword; Sanji was in the kitchen, Nami and Gin too, discussing what they knew about Alabasta, both deciding to interrogate Vivi about the kingdom; said princess was with Usopp on the deck, watching him prepare his munitions

Then she looked to the side, catching movement on the corner of her eye, just to see a woman just… sauntering, into the Merry, as if she wasn't breaking and entering, or as much as one could do so on a ship. And then Vivi caught blue twinkling eyes looking right at her, and remembered from where exactly she had seen them before

Then she paled: - "Wah~!" - And cried out, scared out of her mind

Luffy, Zoro and Igaram quickly forgot their captain's lessons; Usopp and Vivi hastily hid behind the mast; Sanji and Nami came out of the main room. And so did Gin, in front of the cook and the navigator, spinning his tonfa and preparing to crush the stranger who apparently threatened their guest. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as he tripped and was sent flying _over_ the woman, a distressed call of his name coming from behind him

"Gin~, why did you just attack our visitor?" - "… Sorry?" - Asked Luffy, much to the confusion of 'the Ogre': - "I mean, she did made Vivi scream, but she hasn't actually attacked or anything"

"How polite; thank you, Monkey D. Luffy" - Drawled the woman, chuckling softly

Scratching his hat, Luffy grinned: - "So you know who _we_ are, I suppose? Well, that cuts half of the introductions; who are you, pretty lady?"

And indeed, she was a beautiful woman; tall, dressed in a rather scandalous purple top and miniskirt, a cowboy hat of the same colour resting on her head, with black hair with blue highlights resting on her shoulders, and her blue eyes and defined nose completing her face, the lass sitting on the railings of the Merry, purple high-heels on her feet

"Fufufufu, my oh my, how charming" - She spoke, laugher in her voice, before shadowing her eyes with her hat: - "You may call me… Miss All Sunday"

"Partner of Crocodile himself" - Continued Vivi

The reaction was instantaneous. Gin's tonfa started to spin again, Nami pulling her staff and Usopp his slingshot, Zoro preparing to unsheathe Wado Ichimonji, Igaram preparing a club, of all things, and… Sanji, hand on his chest, tried to choose between his duty and his heart

"I like you" - "Come now… eh?" - Miss All Sunday made to speak, but was interrupted by Luffy, who was sitting now on the ground, his characteristic grin on his face: - "Say, why don't you join my crew?"

The woman blinked, her eyes twinkling further, expecting anything but that: - "… Thank you, 'Straw Hat' Luffy. I must decline, however"

"While I have no doubt that I'd be more than welcome, in spite of my, ahem, _position_ , as the enemy, Baroque Works has given me an opportunity I have always wanted, and I simply can't give up now" - She explained, smiling

Luffy pouted, and whined: - "Aw come on, can you at least stay for a drink?"

Still chuckling, Miss All Sunday answered in the negative: - "Unfortunately, my mere presence is almost making our dear princess burst a vein, so I'll have to deny your request, 'Straw Hat' Luffy; although, I can give you this"

And she threw what looked at first glance, a hourglass, but now that Luffy had it in his hands, he realized it appeared quite similar to a Log Pose, even if it was tucked between two wooden plaques like the hourglass the teen had previously expected: - "Hm? Na-ni-mo-nai?"

"Your next destination, if you follow the Log Pose, is an island known as Little Garden; I can assure you, with one hundred percent of certainty, that if you do enter that island, you won't get out alive" - And the way she spoke, the sincerity on her voice, Luffy was almost convinced: - "This is an Eternal Pose, which works similar to a Log Pose, but is locked to always point to a specific island; and from Nanimonai you will be able to easily reach Alabasta too"

Almost: - "Sorry, but unless you're a member of the crew, you don't get a say on the 'Straw Hats' journey" - He said, jumping and landing besides the lady: - "So, I'll have to refuse" - And he gave it back to her, much to her bemusement

"… Very well, 'Straw Hat' Luffy; it was… a pleasure, talking with you. If that is all, I'll be going then" - And with that, storing the Eternal Pose… somewhere on her person, Miss All Sunday walked away, jumping from the Going Merry and into a massive turtle-like creature with a stripped white cowboy hat: - "Let's go, Banchi"

And off they went, Miss All Sunday on the back of the turtle, the beast swimming away from the Going Merry

Vivi was the first to recover from the event, staring at Luffy like he had suddenly decided to be a marine: - "What was that!? Didn't you hear me say who she was!?"

"Yup, just like I once heard you call yourself Miss Wednesday. Look at us now" - Answered Luffy, making the lass blink

Frowning, she muttered: - "That's completely different" - And turned away, pouting, as Luffy laughed in the background

* * *

After dealing with a heatwave strong enough to ignite the sails again, followed by a tropical storm with waves as big as the Merry, which was actually pretty small for the Grand Line, the crew finally found a stretch of peaceful waters, Nami, now dressed in a white shirt with long blue sleeves, calling out: - "Island~! Island spotted~!"

And soon they approached said island, the name Little Garden proving to be a bit of a misnomer; not only were the trees as tall, if not taller, than the mountains of Cactus Island, and the inhabitants of the island left them wondering, as a massive tiger fell down, bleeding from deep wounds, and a bird high above appeared to have both feathers and scales

"W-What _thing_ w-would l-leave s-such m-marks?" - Asked Nami, trembling, with the mast between herself and the beast

"Yosh!" - To her despair, Luffy wasn't intimidated by the scene; quite the opposite, really: - "Sanji! Go make a pirate lunchbox! I want to explore! Shishishishi"

Igaram questioned the wisdom of such decision, considering their hurry to reach Alabasta, but Luffy easily explained himself, pointing out that between the two guests and his own appetite, the Merry was starting to run out of food; he'd explore, hunt down a beast, then return, and after storing as much meat as possible, go on their way

"Gin, you go _that_ way!" - Ordered Luffy, pointing at the port side of their caravel: - "I'll go the other, and we'll bring as much meat as we can!"

Getting his agreement, the two men waiting for their food, when they heard the voice of their princess calling out: - "S-Sanji! I prepare a lunchbox for me and Carue too!"

"Eh, Vivi?" - The crew asked, almost as one, though Igaram was far noisier. The cyan-haired lass quickly explained herself: - "If I stay here, I'll just dwell on my home's state; a walk is what I need to relax, that's it"

"Princess, are you sure it is a good idea to walk around? This place appears uninhabited, and quite dangerous too" - Asked Sanji, always protective of all ladies on the Merry

Nodding and smiling, Vivi pointed out: - "I'll be going with Luffy, which might be even safer than staying on the Merry" - A comment which drew a snort from the crew as a whole, not able to disagree: - "Besides, Carue will come with me, and there is no one faster than him" - She then pointed at her duck, whose panicked squawk drew more snorts, the bird clearly scared out of his mind at the idea, only now realizing that Vivi wanted him to accompany her

A noise of disapproval came from Sanji, clearly aware that Carue wasn't the bravest protector, even as he went to the kitchen to do his job. The crew watched as they reduced themselves to dots in the distance, further hidden by the wilderness, until they couldn't be seen anymore

Time passed, and Sanji asked: - "… Now what?"

"Hm… I think I can repair Gin's tonfa" - Muttered Usopp, going to work just on that, aware of where 'the Ogre' left his weapon

"And I'm fairly certain I've seen that vegetation in a book somewhere in the library…" - Stated Igaram, excusing himself

Nami went to draw her maps in the women's room, while Zoro started training in the deck. With nothing to do, Sanji went to the kitchen, to check their dwindling supplies and ensure everything was in place

Shortly after, a strangled scream from behind him had Sanji staring at a panicked Igaram: - "What?"

Igaram showed him the book. Sanji blanched, fearing for his princess

And a shout from outside had the pair running, fearing for the worse, the entire crew exiting and meeting him

Meanwhile, Luffy stuck his hand in a puddle: - "Hey, Vivi, why is this? An aquatic snail or a shelled squid?"

"I think that is… an ammonite? I thought they were extinct" - Then a grunt came from behind them, and a tree moved; then another, and another, and the couple realized they were not trees, but limbs of a massive dinosaur, one Vivi identified after the shock passed to give place to mild horror: - "A-an Apatosaurus!?"

"Holy~ crap! Haha, a dinosaur! I'm gonna ride it!" - "What!?" - And Luffy did just that, using his powers to launch himself upwards, climbing the beast as Vivi and Carue hastily ran forward to follow, soon getting themselves into a clearing with many more

"T-that's why it is called 'Little Garden'" - Muttered Vivi: - "Its inhabitants are _massive_!"

Luffy pranced around a bit, like his family's namesake, playing around the long necks of the dinosaurs, laughing all the while, even as he slipped and slid on said necks, falling right into the mouth of one: - "Wah! Luffy!"

And then metal flashed, and that was how the pair ended meeting him

The first wore a horned helmet, and wine-coloured overalls with white fur lining it, yellow pants with black stripes, brown shoes, and a blond beard shaped like the axe on his hands, a blue cape finishing his looks

The second also wore the blue cape, his helmet extended to serve as a face mask that only covered his eyes, a long brown beard that reached his hips, a haramaki studded with metal plates around his waist, and olive pants going into brown boots, a long sword cleaving the dinosaur's head

Brogy and Dorry, the true giants of Little Garden

* * *

The shout from the outside was not from Zoro, the only one outside to meet Brogy, the pair staring each other, Zoro mildly horrified, Brogy mildly curious; it was from Brogy, who was surprised by a bite on his ass from a tyrannosaurus rex, the crew watching him spin in place and behead the dinosaur with his axe

They were able to negotiate with the giant then, who, in exchange of some barrels of beer and some companionship for a meal, gave the information of how long a Log Pose needed to point to the next island. Not that they needed, since Igaram did possess an Eternal Pose to Alabasta

And in fact, it was probably better for them to not hear that it took one year for the common Log Pose to settle, Igaram left sweating at the prospect of having to wait a full year before being able to go to his beloved home: - "By the time we reached Alabasta, Crocodile would've already conquered everything…"

Igaram also was chosen to journey alongside Usopp with Brogy, as the companionship, Sanji, Zoro and Nami staying on the Merry to protect it, the 'sacrifices' waddling scared out of their minds

Luffy and Vivi were having a much better time, already aware that the giants were friendly, even if they only knew of one of them. Dorry quickly changed that, explaining why he lived on the island: - "Gegyagyagya! What a funny little man you are!" - He spoke, after a challenge from Luffy to fight, much to Vivi and Carue's despair: - "But I can't accept. I'm stuck on a fight of my own, and can't risk anything, no matter how… _insignificant_ , they might appear"

"All, come on, I'm strong too!" - Whined Luffy, not liking being underestimated

Then the smallest mountain of Little Garden, still as big as one of the giants, erupted. Dorry stood up, picked a long sword matching his size and a shield: - 'Speaking of fight, the starting bell just rung, so I must be going; boy, try to not get lost!"

"Gegyagyagya!" - "Gababababa!"

Meanwhile, Usopp and Igaram watched from their perch the honourable duel between the giants. Usopp had, upon learning about giants and, more specifically, the giants of Elbaf, expressed his appreciation; as he described, both warriors had a flag of pride on their hearts, and to lose would be to let said flag be torn, a slow and painful death as their hearts bled out

"It's incredible!" - He exulted: - "I want to be like them! A proud warrior of the seas!"

Igaram, smiling, nodded: - "That's a worthy dr- ahem, mah~ mah~ mah~; that's a worthy dream, Usopp"

"Now, what do you say about proving that bravery? _**Igarappappa**_!" - And Usopp ducked, as Igaram fired his curious hair cannons on the jungle: - "What the hell!?"

Usopp was not the only one to ask that: - "So, you've seen me" - Grunted Mister Five, coming out of the woodwork: - "You do know that explosions don't work on me, right?"

"They don't!?" - "Mister Five has eaten the Bomb Bomb Fruit, making every part of him an explosive!" - Explained the royal guard, drawing a scimitar from the inside of his coat: - "Making him also immune to explosions himself"

"Humph; mission failed, it seems" - Muttered the dark-skinned man, retreating into the jungle, leaving behind a bewildered pair of 'Straw Hats'

Looking at each other, Usopp was quick to catch it: - "He was lying, wasn't he?" - "Very probable. He was by the barrels of rum we bought with us"

"Would… would he dare sabotage a pirate's rum!? The monster!" - "Indeed, Baroque Works attract only the worst… and somebody will have to tell mister Brogy that the grog was poisoned"

Sweat fell down their brows, not looking forward for that chat

* * *

Fortunately, they were spared the giant's wrath. While angry that good grog was ruined, he was quite understandable of the situation

In fact, his anger helped the crew. A lot

"That's the work of Mister Three" - Explained Igaram, as they looked at a perfectly cubic building made of a white substance that the ex-Mister Eight identified as wax: - "He's a Wax Man, producing and controlling wax as hard as steel"

With stealth born of inhabiting a place for one hundred years, Brogy and Dorry, after being informed of the attempt of sabotage from the Baroque Works agents, agreed to a truce, while the 'Straw Hats' dealt with the problem: - "They're only here because of us, after all" - At least, according to Luffy. They had no way of knowing that Brogy 'the Red Ogre' and Dorry 'the Blue Ogre' had once bounties of one hundred million Bellys, each; and like the reason of their fight, even the pair of giant pirates had forgotten about that

"So… what now?" - Asked Vivi, with Luffy, Usopp and Igaram glaring at the cube, the captain dropping down and walking towards, much to everyone else's confusion, further exacerbated when he simply knocked on the door

"What?" - The man who greeted him was… well, outright weird; the frail-looking man had his hair in a topknot literally shaped like the number three, wearing a blue and turquoise stripped vest with white frills and a red bowtie, with cream pants and brown shoes; he quickly turned to someone behind him, quickly identified as the bomb man: - "Mister Five~! You said you successfully planted the bomb~!"

"I also said I was caught, you nitwit! Duck!" - And Mister Three actually did, a shout of: - " _ **Nose Fancy Cannon**_!" - Coming from the house, a small black dot appearing on Luffy's line of sight

Unfortunately, Luffy also heard to order and also followed it, so the shot of mucus passed wide, exploding harmlessly far away from both giants and the 'Straw Hat' crew, who weren't quite in front of the door precisely to not be struck by stray attacks

"Should we help him?" - Asked Igaram, standing up and preparing to fight, but Usopp interrupted: - "In close quarters? All Luffy has to do is use-"

" _ **Candy Candy Conquest~**_!" - And like that, all problems were solved, proving that Logia Devil Fruits were broken beyond belief. A little girl popped out of the window, a child with dark red hair in short pigtailed braids, wearing a sky-blue button-up shirt with clouds decorating it, over a dark blue shirt with 'GOLDEN' written on it, a maroon skirt over blue and white stripped stockings, and red shoes with white cuffs and soles

She also was clutching a hat to her head, a wide brimmed pink one, as she stared at both giants she and her partner were sent to hunt with a few strangers she suspected were the 'Straw Hats' and the Alabastan spies: - "H-hey"

"Kya~! I'm stuck~!" - Came the voice of Miss Valentine, snuffed booming sounds coming from the block, Luffy alerting Mister Five that, while he was immune to concussive and fiery explosions, wax shrapnel might not be included on said list of immunities. The comment actually stopped the booming sounds

The Mister Five pair was more or less ignored, in favour of the little girl in the grass: - "Hello. Want to join my crew?"

The girl blinked. The 'Straw Hats' and their guests didn't even care anymore: - "S-seriously? D-do you k-know who I am?"

"You're not a bad person" - Stated Luffy with certainty, in spite of only meeting her now

"Miss Goldenweek! Stand back! _**Candle Champion**_!" - The wax cube, however, wobbled, and from the top came Mister Three, inside an armour set of wax with thin limbs and massive boxing gloves for hands, his hair, strangely enough, on fire: - " _ **Champion Fight: Harvest Field Manoeuvre**_!"

Landing noisily on the ground, Mister Three and his wax armour charged forward, ploughing forward with his massive boxing gloves: - "Wahaha! Tremble, 'Straw Hat'! With this armour, I defeated a pirate worthy forty-two millions! You don't stand a chance! Waha- eh?"

Luffy was quick to spot a weakness on the armour set: Mister Three's head was completely unprotected. Jumping high above the wildly swinging fists, Luffy simply kicked the exposed face of his opponent, without even using his Devil Fruit; Mister Three and his fearsome armour set simply fell like a sack of bricks

"T-that's it!?" - Exclaimed Miss Goldenweek, surprised; she knew that Mister Three's 'Candle Champion' needed a coat of her hypnotic paint to further boost his effectiveness, but she hadn't expected the lack of paint to make him so… _lacking_ , in actual ability

"Really!? Maybe that's why he's so insistent in subterfuge and cheating, since he's so _pathetic_ otherwise!" - Exclaimed an extremely frustrated Miss Valentine, who witnessed the fight, her upper half poking from a window, the one opposite from the one Miss Goldenweek jumped of: - "Kya~! This thing is so _gross_ ~!"

"Yeah, that's it. So, about my offer…" - "… What are the benefits?"

Miss Valentine called out: - "Are you serious!?" - And actually received an answer from the little girl: - "Mister Three _failed_! That means that we're going to be killed! And you two? Aren't you supposed to be killed too for failing your mission?"

"M-mister Three said we had a second chance!" - "Because he needed cannon fodder!" - By then, the blonde had freed herself from her position, and was on her knees outside the wax box, biting her lips to stop herself from hastily answering

"S-so… what are the benefits?" - Her actual answer wasn't much better, however

The 'Straw Hats', the guests, and the giants, as one, facepalmed, somewhat incredulous. Luffy, after blinking and, ignoring a somehow indignant boom from Mister Three's fort, stroke his chin: - "Well, we don't kill others for failures, for starters-"

"Enough for me" - Chirped Miss Goldenweek, standing up and saluting her new captain: - "I'm Grace, I'm fourteen years old, and I like painting, rice crackers and earl grey"

"Is it really that easy?" - Muttered Brogy, which meant everyone heard him, Luffy laughing at the comment: - "Why should it not?"

"Well, there is the implication that they would betray us later" - Commented Vivi, Igaram completing it: - "There's also the fact that Baroque Works is specialized in infiltration and sabotage, and that is how they work, for the most part"

"H-hey! We're not that bad!" - Answered Miss Valentine to the accusations: - "Perhaps we could've chosen a better nation to conquer, but all we want is to create a utopia!"

"And do you honestly believe that? Crocodile is doing that while coasting as the 'Hero of Alabasta'! All he wants is a personal playground, not caring who he runs over on his way, even if they are allies" - Answered Vivi, just as hotly, shutting up the blonde, who huffed, well aware that the ex-Miss Wednesday was right. Between the Unluckies and Crocodile himself, there was little chance she could stay in Baroque Works and live

"Fine! I'll… I'll join too… at least temporarily" - Spoke Miss Valentine, the last part muttered to herself but still heard: - "And what about our partners?"

"I don't know…" - "Mister Three is a person I respect as an artist, but as a _person_ …" - "He does appear to be a jerk"

"He _did_ threaten to make us into wax statues… but what about _my_ partner?" - A boom echoed, and Luffy had enough

"Alright, alright, I'm removing all the candy" - Mister Five staggered then, finally free, out of the box: - "That was candy!?"

"Yeah, I said I ate the Candy Candy Fruit, didn't I?"

"I though you said you were a dandy man" - Muttered the dark-skinned man: - "And candy made of what!? It was holding my explosions with ease!"

Luffy just laughed

"So, you two also want to join?"

"Just like that?" - "Just like that"

Luffy put one hand in each shoulder, and _squeezed_ , making the pair flinch: - "You don't feel like good guys, but you're also not jerks, so I'll give you two a chance"

Pulling the pair into a sort of hug, Luffy whispered: - "But even _think_ of betraying us, and I'll drag you through the ocean as bait, clear?"

Hastily nodding, the pair was released, as Luffy asked their names, as if he just didn't threaten to make them into macabre anchors, the pair tried to answer, but was too shaken to do so, Vivi coming to their rescue, identifying them as Elijah and, amusingly enough, Valentine

"The Mister Five and Four pairs are well known to us, the former especially, since we knew that if we were discovered they'd be the first ones sent after us" - Explained Vivi to Luffy as to how she knew

It still didn't stop Luffy from harassing the blonde, who wanted to know who came first, the name or the codename, in spite of the fact the answer should be obvious

* * *

"So, you're really accepting these three into your crew" - Commented Brogy, the pair of giants watching as the Going Merry slowly sailed through the river, exiting Little Garden with Alabasta as their destination, thanks to Igaram's Eternal Pose

It left them wondering Miss All Sunday's loyalties, since she was aware that Little Garden would leave them stuck for one year and apparently believed them unable to deal with the dinosaurs. Which, while true in the case of the weaker members, which was Nami, Vivi, and Usopp, and _maybe_ Igaram, was not the case for the remaining members

Of course, no one actually asked about them, since they'd just receive a smug 'I told you so' from Luffy, who fully planned to recruit the 'pretty lady'

"Still, we should thank you for safeguarding our honour duel, in spite of having no obligation to do so" - Continued the giant

Then was Dorry's turn: - "As a thank you, I can only tell you one thing: keep going forward"

"Always forward, no ifs, ands, or buts"

"Get ready!" - They both called out

Gin, having returned with a triceratops, also called out: - "Is there any reason they'd ask for that?"

The massive goldfish, big enough to eat even one of the giants behind them whole, was enough of an answer

"Straight ahead!" - Ordered Luffy, to the bafflement and horror of the crew

Except Zoro and Usopp: - "Straight ahead, captain!"

And, as the crew more or less went nuts, especially as they entered into the goldfish's maw, a sliver of light still visible from the gap between the beast's mouth, they heard the shout: - " _ **Hakoku**_!"

And the giant goldfish had a hole cleaved through it, leaving the crew gaping in awe

"Shishishishi, see!? Straight ahead!" - And with their captain laughing like a loon, the three newest members of the crew could only watch in awe as the crew laughed and danced, having just escaped certain death by the skin of their teeth thanks to sheer luck and simply befriending the right people

Smiling, Grace declared: - "I like them" - And Valentine and Elijah couldn't help but agree

Then Gin came down with a great fever, and everyone panicked again

* * *

AN: And that's a wrap. Very little fights on this chapter, and the one that occurred was solved quickly. Logias are indeed broken

University didn't stop me from publishing this chapter, and in fact, I didn't even had class this Friday, the teacher informing us by e-mail he'd be unavailable for classes. Still, I don't expect the week of classes to make writting easy...

Reviews: _**arapyanime**_ and _**sudhush**_ , thank you for your reviews! And don't worry, while university will make writting harder, I fully plan on continuing. Perhaps I'll need to stop updating once a week, but I'll keep trying!

Canon changes: Robin makes her appearance! And unlike last time, _no one has a clue of her Devil Fruit_ , as Luffy's charms distract her enough for her to forget about everyone's weapons

Gin is the one afflicted by the fever, rather than Nami. It is mostly an experiment from me, trying to think how exactly one of the monsters of the crew would act if they got sick

And finally, meet Elijah, Valentine, and Grace! I had doubts about adding them to the crew, but while Miss Valentine _is_ a sadist, she isn't outright evil; no one who deals with chocolate can be. They joined the crew mostly to follow Miss Goldenweek, though, so if the 'Straw Hats' even find themselves with divisions before the New World, the three will be part of them, rather than stay on the main crew

And Galdino? Well, while canonically Miss Goldenweek was more friendly with him, here she's as creeped out of a man who sees making people into statues as art as anyone else, so he is dumped somewhere in Little Garden. I think that the method Luffy used to defeat him was acceptable, considering how easy he trounced Mister Three in canon

And that ends everything, I believe. Reviews are appreciated, and views are even more, so keep reading!

Peace!


	12. Chapter 11 - The Nameless Kingdom

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 10 - The Nameless Kingdom

* * *

The panic of the crew with one of their own sick quickly faded. Gin gained an epithet after a type of demon for a good reason, and 'the Ogre' was soon helping the crew in spite of his fever reaching forty degrees on a good day

Still, that wasn't enough for Vivi; with spikes of forty-three degrees, it was obvious that whatever Gin caught was killing him, a cursory glance enough to see the big and black bite mark of some type of insect on his hand

Thus, after sailing around a legitimate Grand Line hurricane, which translates into a cataclysmic incident that appeared out of nowhere and which the crew only survive thanks to the sheer luck of having the best navigator in the world, she declared: - "We need to reach Alabasta as quickly as possible"

Getting nods from the crew, a 'duh', not spoken but not unheard, she masterfully ignored it to decide: - "And the Merry move the fastest when everyone of this crew is on top shape. So please, Luffy, let's find a doctor for Gin"

Luffy grinned, and the rest of the crew raised an eyebrow in surprise, with underlying approval; it was well known by now that at least half of her home's army had deserted and joined the rebels, and for her to willingly delay her trip for the sake of a bunch of pirates just because she saw them as friends was… it spoke of loyalty, and faith, both on her nation to hold on just a little longer and on the pirates' efficiency

A few days later, it was a cold and snowy afternoon, Gin abusing his fever to waddle around with only a white top and brown pants, his grey jacket wrapped around his waist, when Luffy, sitting on his throne and under a red winter cape, asked out loud: - "Hey, Eli! Are people walking on the surface of the ocean common on the Grand Line?"

Elijah, already used to the nickname and on the crow nest, and having traded his trench coat for a black one more appropriate to winter, didn't even need to look through his spyglass to find the man who was, indeed, standing on the surface of the ocean: - "It… isn't, captain"

"Oh, joy" - Said Usopp, wearing a brown coat over his shirt, muttered from his place pushing the snow out of the Merry, with help of Gin

Wearing a checkered green and blue hooded costume resembling a jester, under a winter white coat, all with purple fur linings, with dark green pants and blue shoes, and most importantly a recurve bow on his back alongside a quiver of arrows

Luffy, Elijah, Usopp and Gin, the rest of the crew inside to protect from the cold, stared at the… impossibility in front of them, said impossibility with a wavy mouth and a sad face

"It's a little cold, up here, eh?"

"It is quite a lot, actually" - Answered Luffy to the jester's question

"Hm? You're real?" - The jester's mutterings were directed, strangely enough, to himself. Then he tapped on some metal under him, drawing a noise of confusion from the quartet who heard the noise

Then, a metal platform rose, a massive sphere coming from the water, the Going Merry halting swiftly with the sudden obstacle in front of him, the gigantic metal orb spinning in place, then opening, revealing a massive ship inside, the sharp eyes of the present 'Straw Hats' noticing Chess on top of the mast

"Luffy, what is going on~… Luffy, are we being invaded?" - Sanji, wearing a furry coat quite similar to his typical suits, asked, exiting the warmth of the Merry's cabin, only to see that at least a battalion of uniformed soldiers, led by a fat man wearing plated armour, under what appeared to be a hooded cape made of a white hippo fur that covered violet hair, with short brown boots and gloves with white fur lining, and strangely enough for the cold weather, purple and orange woollen shorts, exposing his calves

"Hello, hello~, does this ship possess an Eternal Pose for Drum Island? I don't want any conflict boys, so just surrender, okay?" - He spoke, chewing on a piece of meat on a dagger. Then he started to chew the dagger itself, making the five gentlemen and the approaching Nami, dressed in a yellow and white checkered coat, flinch

She, and the rest of the crew, wanted to ask if he just had a strong jaw and digestive tract, or if it was the product of a Devil Fruit, but at the moment, she was just thankful that said gentlemen were too baffled to actually do so, the lass instead focusing on what mattered, having heard his question: - "N-no, we don't even know about such an island, eh, sir"

The stranger grunted, displeased, but not appearing to care: - "Well, then I think we'll just take all your treasure and the ship, too"

"I'll think I'll take a bite now, in fact" - And indeed he did, his mouth growing to a massive, grotesque size, the man taking a bite from the Merry's side

The reaction was instantaneous. No way in hell they were going to let this weirdo do whatever he wanted with _their_ Merry, all together shouting exactly that: - "No way in hell~!" - As they attacked

Nami used Sanji as a stepping stone to jump over the railing and slam her staff, repaired back in Cocoyashi, on the head of an invader, whacking away much to the surprise of the soldiers, not used to resistance. Not helped was Sanji, after punting away those aiming their guns at him in front of the cabin, jumped over the railing himself, joining the ginger

To make matters worse, they were swiftly joined by Usopp and Gin, the pair using their shovels to push away the pirates alongside the snow, or in the case of 'the Ogre', outright bashing open some heads, even if not quite as skilfully as if he had his tonfas

What made the soldiers truly miserable, however, was Luffy joining the fight, spinning in place and extending his leg with a call of: - " _ **Candy Candy~ Scythe**_!" - And punting aside the majority of the soldiers on the caravel, the captain of the 'Straw Hats' then jumping forward to a distracted and chewing fat man, who didn't seem to realize his mooks were having their collective asses kicked

And Igaram… did nothing, just poking his head to check on the commotion. He _did_ have a camera with himself, and, recognizing the man who struck his princess so long ago, took a discreet photo of the man and his flag. A king going rogue and turning into a pirate? The World Government would have a field day

"Hm?" - He seemed to notice the fact that eating a still occupied pirate ship wasn't quite a good idea only when Luffy jumped towards him with a roar. With a harrumph, the armoured man simply opened his maw, with half-chewed wood still inside, and promptly gobbled Luffy: - "Hm. Tasty, but chewy" - Muttered the man, as he indeed chewed on Luffy

Demonstrating again a case of lack of attention, he didn't realize that Luffy's hands were outside his mouth until one of them latched on his ear and pulled, drawing a grunt of pain and, amusingly enough, toppling him, the man rolling in the deck of the Merry and attempting to order his victim to stop trashing as he stopped on his back

Rather hard to talk when there's somebody trashing on one's mouth, as the man found out

"King Wapol, watch out!" - Then, came from high above the jester's voice, the man finally paying attention to his surroundings, an extremely annoyed Sanji and Gin each grabbing one of Luffy's hands, Sanji shoving one foot on Wapol's upper jaw, one on the lower, and then slowly forcing his mouth open, Luffy being pulled out by his friends, cursing everything he could think about Wapol

"Sanji! As far away as you can! So~ gross~!" - Outright ordered Luffy

Gin, hearing the order, helped by tipping Wapol on his side, and Sanji exploited the opening, literally kicking his ass with a shout of: - " _ **Derrière Shot**_!" - And sending the armoured man flying with a girly scream of pain

"K-King Wapol! Wah~! His Devil Fruit will make him sink like an anchor! After him men!" - And with surprisingly great mobility for a crew beaten into almost unconsciousness, the entirety of it entered the strange ship, which swiftly paddled its way after their flying captain, the jester promising retribution to the 'Straw Hats', who completely ignored them as they sailed away

* * *

"Ya know, do you think this is Drum Island?" - Asked Luffy

Elijah stared blankly as Usopp, looking up, answered: - "Why do you think?"

"Ya know, because the mountains kinda look like really tall drums"

Looking again, Usopp had to agree: - "Yeah, makes sense, I suppose. Eli, you've been staring at me for the past hour"

"I'm sorry" - Deadpanned the bomb man: - "But you know, if something makes an inhabitant of the Grand Line pause, then maybe it might not be such a good idea"

Usopp grunted noncommittally, making sure the knot was firm and the rope securely tied to the railing; on the other end, Gin relaxed

What better way to reduce a forty-five degrees' fever than to go for a swim in an ocean that was so cold as to be almost solid? Many things, but Gin never heard any of them, and admittedly, they were rather limited in resources

The mood in the ship was as relaxed as 'the Ogre', truth be told. That the sudden stop had been caused by an attempt of attack rather than the freaky weather had the crew tranquil and peaceful, most of them circling the lit oven that Sanji carefully tended to in the cabin, only the captain, the arsonist, the sniper and the helmsman outside

The princess of the crew soon joined them, wearing a white fluffy coat, and more or less went bonkers at realizing what Gin was doing, demanding he return back into the Merry, fearing for his safety, her imagination dreaming of man-eating sharks to the man being dragged under the ship and drowning. Fortunately, for the blue-haired lass, 'the Ogre' was willing to listen to her, if only to make her shut up

By the time he climbed back, she had at least went back into the cabin and returned with a fluffy towel, an amused Valentine in tow, the blonde covered in a green parka and white pants, her ever present hat in place, and a much less amused Grace, who just wanted to go back to the kitchen and pester Sanji for hot tea, the redhead under a massive dark brown cloak

The good mood, in spite of the cold, soon evaporated, as the crew dropped the anchor, because as at the moment it dived underwater, a veritable army of peasants, armed with muskets and other ranged weaponry, took aim from a rocky cliff

Vivi squeaked, surprised with the hostile reaction, a tall black-haired man in a green coat armoured with leather pads and a weapon grip visible on his back amidst the snipers ordering: - "Pirates! Your kind is not welcome here! Leave at once!"

Luffy completely ignored the order, naturally: - "Hey~! Do you have a doctor!? We have a sick person on board!"

"Do you honestly believe we'll fall for _that_ , scum!?" - Was the answer from one of the soldiers

Luffy ignored him too: - "Also, is this place called Drum Island!? We met a guy called Wapol who wanted to come to this place!"

A pause. Then the dark-haired man again: - "What. What!?"

And so, Elijah, Valentine, Vivi, Igaram, Luffy, Usopp, and Gin, all moved into the village of Big Horn, where they and Dalton, the man in green, bartered for information and medicine

Or rather, Dalton promised to not have a mob running the 'Straw Hats' back into their ship, while informing that the sole doctor of the island was a witch that lived on the top of the tallest mountain, where the old king's castle rested. They also learned that Wapol was a cad and a coward, having ran away with the kingdom's army when a powerful pirate crew known as the 'Blackbeard' pirates appeared and laid waste to the Drum Kingdom

"Even since then, this kingdom has lived without a king for a long time. The elections for a new king have been coming up, and, to my shame, my name has been coming up" - Explained Dalton, much to the confusion of the crew, Vivi making to speak:

"B-but you seem a loyal man, mister Dalton; why-"

Dalton interrupted politely, raising a hand and explaining: - "I was one of the old king's chosen men, young lady, serving since his father reigned; his father was a good man, but Wapol… not so much. Still, I served faithfully as he ran our kingdom to the ground"

"It still seems to me you truly regret for your crimes, sir Dalton" - Spoke Igaram: - "That speaks to me of a man who does cares about his people and do deserve forgiveness"

Dalton, head down, just said: - "I believe we'll agree to disagree about that. You said you were in search of our witch, didn't you? Then make yourselves at home, I'll ask around if any information about her came up"

The 'Straw Hats' politely waited on Dalton's home… for five seconds, before Luffy came up with a 'plan': - "So, Gin, think you can climb that mountain?"

The crew, as one, stared at their captain, then at Gin, who was the exception, instead stroking his chin: - "I~ might"

"Then we have a plan" - Declared Luffy: - "Gin, I, Eli and Val will help you climb the mountain"

"What" - "While we're at it, Vivi, Igaram and Usopp will follow around Dalton after the witch, to try to convince her to go back as fast as possible"

Those who joined while at the Grand Line looked at Luffy like he had another head slowly growing from his shoulders. Usopp and Gin, on the other hand, just nodded

* * *

Dalton put only a token protest upon hearing the idea of the pirate captain. While he could tell that they were not bad people like the previous pirates, he was still rather distrustful of them

So, other than warning them about the Lapins, carnivorous and highly territorial giant snow rabbits, he let them go

Only to discover that the witch was in the neighbour village of Cocoa Weed, going there only to find out that, not only had the woman already saved a patient, she was also long gone, to who knows where

Who knows where turned out to be Gyasta, a village in the direction they just came from

However, they did not go there. A bleeding man had appeared just after it was announced where the witch had been seen, alerting Dalton of the return of Wapol, and the execution of most of the patrollers for daring to shoot 'their' king

Dalton revealed his Devil Fruit power, the Cow Cow Fruit, model Bison, and charged forward, leaving behind the 'Straw Hats', whose reindeer sled was simply too slow to catch up, not helped by an avalanche meeting them halfway through the journey, dragging, strangely enough, a shirtless Zoro alongside it, the young man saying he had gone for a swim, but then the ship moved and he got lost

Usopp had snarked: - "How does one move an _anchored ship_ " - But was ultimately ignored, the crew finally reaching Big Horn to find it buried in the snow and occupied both by hapless citizens and soldiers of Wapol

Apparently, while Dalton reached in time to confront the rogue king, said king's first order was for his jester archer to fire at the crowd of civilians, the bison man selflessly blocking the arrows with his own body

Then the avalanche struck the village, and while everyone who could was able to escape, Dalton… well, he had three arrows sticking from his chest and was bleeding in the snow, and now was bleeding under it

"W-what do we do now?" - "We need to prepare a plan. Maybe if we can dig him from far enough away…" - And while Vivi and Igaram watched worried…

"Zoro, the guys in uniform are the bad guys who hurt the Merry" - "Got it" - Usopp just pointed, and let their monster swordsman wreak havoc

It started with a simple punch and, amusingly enough, the theft of a soldier's cosy uniform and his sabre: - "Not a katana, but will do" - Before diving head first in the crowd of soldiers, making them learn that firing in an enemy in the middle of them was a bad idea, their muskets striking their own men

Then, with a grin filled with malice, having acquired another sabre in the confusion, Zoro turned around and struck: - " _ **Hawk Wave**_!" - Jumping and sending a gust of wind from his blades, Zoro searching for enemies still standing, but discovered that, without a hail of muskets to threaten the supposedly hapless civilians, they were more than willing to attack the soldiers who oppressed them for so long in the past

Zoro himself was extremely disappointed that the fight was so short and basically stolen from him, but while baffled with the sheer speed, Vivi and Igaram were just glad that they now could dig up Dalton, helped by the twenty doctors that Wapol had under his command, who revealed to despise the king as much as everyone else

They also revealed, to the 'Straw Hats' present, how despicable the rogue king was, having ordered the exile or execution of all but the twenty best doctors of what was once seen as a medicinal paradise in the Grand Line, the twenty only treating those who begged and grovelled under Wapol's feet enough to satisfy the king

And as Vivi watched the Medic-20 help Dalton, she turned to face the tallest mountain, worried for her friends, as Wapol now headed in the same direction

* * *

If she knew of the misadventures of the crew, she'd have worried sooner

For starters, the quartet had soon met a baby Lapin. Not a problem on its own, until Gin got annoyed enough with the distraction and punted him in a way that'd make Sanji proud

The problem came in the form of the baby's extended family, who stared down at them from their position above hill and proceeded to give chase

Nothing that the group would find troublesome, except Elijah refused to risk causing an avalanche with his explosions, thus stopping Valentine from simply stomping her enemies, and Gin, no matter how he might act, was still sick and weakened

Luffy was still a problem for them, and no bear-like rabbit could withstand a punch or kick from a limb weighting ten thousand kilograms, though at least for the beasts the blonde was simply not used to legitimately fighting

The quartet had a small reprieve, which they were more than thankful for, although the pair of ex-assassins soon realized that it only meant they were preparing something instead. Their predictions were soon proven true when, not much ahead, the Lapins stood, the bunnies jumping up and down

"Oh, for fucks sake!" - "What?" - "They're starting what I've been trying to _not_ start!" - And soon, the snow gave in to the weight and bouncing, the avalanche rushing towards the crew, the bomb man sending one of his boogers at the rushing snow, the explosion doing not even noise as the snow ate the snot

A pull had Elijah finally running, Luffy's arm extended and forcing the living explosive to follow the group, who had already started to run, away from the mountain, much to their annoyance. The Lapins also gave chase, some running faster than the avalanche and slowly gaining on the group, others outright riding the snow wave in tree trunks

"Rock! Rock straight ahead! Climb up, up!" - Called out Gin, seeing their apparent salvation in front of them, a tall rock that the quartet clambered over, only to discover it wasn't tall enough, the wave of snow pushing them down from their perch

Blown high in the sky, Luffy called out: - " _ **Candy Candy~ Fort**_!" - And the soft candy engulfed the crew, the trio sinking into the gum and being glued to it, Luffy thinking fast and following up with: - "And _**Spear**_!" - Launching one of his legs straight into the rock they were just launched from, striking and burying the limb on the snow right in front of it, the snow passing around and above the rock, thus hitting his leg far less strongly than it could

It wasn't enough; the massive ball disappeared, as Luffy couldn't hold his breath forever, and the improvised anchor slipped, not truly hooked into anything, and Luffy, holding a too scared crew to care about the fact their bodies were held _in_ Luffy, tried to cry out his technique again

He was too late

Snow gobbled down the quartet of pirates, and carried them away

* * *

And Luffy, as the strongest, was the first to wake up. Admittedly, he only blacked out for a few seconds, but to black out at all, and to a natural disaster, was a shocking experience for the boy. His first real defeat, in a way, since departing from home

Then panic gripped his heart: - "Gin! Val! Elijah!"

"Gin~! Val~! Eli~!" - Called out again Luffy; a tuff of yellow was found and pulled and, to Luffy's horror, Valentine was not with her hat, and the piece of cloth had a spot tainted a bloody red. Understandable, considering the avalanche, but still nightmare inducing

"Here~!" - Came the voice of the dark-skinned man, a dull boom launching snow high in the sky, followed by a noise of pain: - "Gah!"

"Elijah! I'm coming" - And Luffy practically teleported to the spot the arsonist was, digging the rest of him out; he had only sneezed, not wanting to risk using anything stronger and start another avalanche

"Are you alright!? Did you see the others?" - "I'm fine, just- there's a rock in my back and it's poking my spine"

Naturally, Luffy extracted Elijah from his spot, pleased to see that said poking had only shredded his coat rather than his back, the dark-skinned man pointing out at the mountain: - "I also think that Gin got himself stuck in a tree"

And indeed, the 'Straw Hat' captain found his helmsman knocked out in a tree: - "Now we just need to find Val" - He declared, carrying Gin on his shoulders

Unfortunately, she was even further down below, also unconscious, and to make matters worse, with quite a lot of blood on the back of her head, confirming Luffy's fear, who quickly put the hat on her head, in an attempt to close the wound, the boy having no knowledge of first aid

With solemn silence, Elijah carried his partner, just like Luffy did, the pair walking forward in the snow-covered plains

On the way, they met no one other than the baby Lapin that started it all. Elijah, furious with the state of his partner, almost punted the creature with his powers, consequences be damned, but a hand on Valentine's hip, which rested on his shoulder, had him pausing

They had a mission now. One more important than any he ever had as Mister Five

Elijah snorted at the irony, that he, who preached about sentiments between partners being a recipe for disaster, caring so much for his friend

To his surprise, while the creature cowered at their approach, Luffy, showing that being a warrior didn't stop him from having a big heart, picked the massive paw poking from the snow, one of the adult Lapins that didn't escape the avalanche in time. With a grunt, Luffy effortlessly pulled the buried beast free

And with the Lapin silently watching them as they went, the pair and their wounded partners walked back towards the mountain just as quietly

* * *

"Halt! 'Straw Hat'!"

It came without warning. One moment, the quartet was walking towards the tallest of peaks, the other, a massive woolly hippo with really long legs stood in front of them, Wapol, his jester and a third man, a dark-skinned person with an afro, on top of it

The two didn't halt. In fact, they outright ignored the three, walking around it and going their way

They vaguely heard: - "Chess! I have a new law. From now on, anyone who ignores the king shall be executed! And we'll start with these four!"

Elijah released a sigh; before he could deposit Valentine on Luffy's shoulder, however, blurs of white stood between the rogue king and the 'Straw Hats'. The Lapins, much to the bomb man's amazement, now stood on their side

The rogue king and his bookends would deal with them, unfortunately, but by them, not only were they tired and lightly wounded, they were also far behind the group

"Luffy, I don't think I can climb that mountain" - Pointed out Elijah, as he tied up Gin to Luffy's back with Luffy's own coat, Valentine tied to his front with Elijah's, as they had no rope with them. They had, even some climbing gear, but it had all been lost in the snow flow

"You can Eli. Think you can cause a very weak blast? That way you can dig some footholds" - And floored by the absolute trust from someone he had been trying to kill not long ago, Elijah could only look up. It was at least five thousand metres, in a straight vertical

And Monkey D. Luffy trusted him, the ex-Mister Five, with his life and the life of both his crewmembers. It put things into perspective, for the criminal, as a bomb man simply doesn't have many opportunities of work, and all his life Elijah was either an arsonist or a terrorist, never given an opportunity by others, who couldn't see a _good_ side of such powers; Baroque Works had been, in theory, his last job, before finally retiring in the 'utopia' of Mister Zero and leave it all behind

Only to be defeated by a mere child. Twice, even, both times the boy barely trying. That had been a death sentence, and probably the only reason Mister Three hadn't outright executed them was indeed because he wanted fodder, as Grace had mentioned

It seemed, however, that his defeat had been a blessing in disguise. Sure, he was a pirate, but Luffy and his crew were easily the kindest, most trustworthy people that Elijah had ever met

Maybe he still might be seen as a criminal. But you know? He didn't mind at all

"Sure thing, captain" - And he punched, and a weak explosion echoed, the loose rocks were removed, and a small crater was created on the rocky surface

And slowly and steadily, Elijah guided Luffy up the mountain

It was troublesome. It was _cold_ ; winds buffeted them at high speed, more than once they slipped, more than once _Gin or Valentine_ slipped, in spite of being tied and Luffy using his powers to stick the three together

Frostbite settled, Elijah having to explode every once in a while, or risk freezing in place, Luffy's body becoming brittle and losing its gluing properties thanks to the negative temperatures

But they persevered

A small boom, dig out the loose pebbles, a new handhold for support

And on and on it went

Until they reached the top, and a massive human stood in front of them

"T-they're my-my c-crew" - Muttered Luffy, once the man kneeled at his side: - "T-ta-take c-care of t-them"

Elijah heard, and decided that, if his captain trusted the man, so would he, and finally, darkness claimed him

* * *

Elijah woke up, and laid still

He was on a bed. A really comfortable one, too

On his left, a soft snore revealed the presence of his captain, so Elijah relaxed, as he stood up and surveyed the room; mostly bare, with only two beds, one which he occupied, and two doors, one leading into another room where Gin slept and with tables filled with papers and what he suspected where medicine, the other to a bigger room with a large window and Valentine sleeping, her head bandaged, and a smile on her face

Probably dreaming of chocolate. Or crushing someone. Or even both, somehow

A squeak called Elijah's attention, and he looked down

Looking up to him, was a child with dark skin and… wait… a child with brown _fur_ with… antlers and a small muzzle with a blue nose, the child hiding a massive pink hat behind the wall with a shocked expression on his face, as if trying to peek on him but having gotten the position inverted…

He ignored that, focusing on the important question - "How is she?" - "Eh~! E-e-e-eh~"

Elijah's palm met his face. Goddamned 'Straw Hats'

Before he could curse his ridiculous luck, the child(?) recovered enough to answer, fortunately: - "Oh! T-the lady? She had a heavy concussion, and the blood loss also needs time to recover, but nothing that some bed rest won't solve"

The child then proceeded to demonstrate the gall to poke his belly with a hoofed hand: - "For that matter, you and the guy with the straw hat should still be resting; it is a miracle I didn't need to amputate any finger"

"Strong guys recover faster" - Why, he didn't know: - "And the third man? Gin?"

Here, the boy looked contrite: - "He's on the room beside yours… he's down with kestia. It will take at least nine more days to heal him completely, to ensure no return of the disease and-"

"That's enough for me… thanks, kiddo" - The boy then did a silly dance

"I'm not happy just because you thanked me, you bastard!" - He actually looked quite happy, but Elijah decided not to comment, instead yawning and shivering

His coat was lost somewhere, and it was too damn cold at the moment to even think, so instead, he just warned the brat: - "I'll go back to bed, then. Call me if anything important happens" - And then, as he moved to go back to the room, a sleepy Luffy appeared at the door

A sleepy Luffy staring straight at the reindeer boy

Goddamned 'Straw Hats'

And so, Valentine woke up, hearing Luffy shout of meat as Elijah desperately called for his captain, trying to stop him from eating the witch, apparently. Baffled and a little disgruntled, the blonde simply turned on the bed and closed her eyes. Maybe she'd dream back of her statue of candy?

* * *

AN: *Groans in the black tongue*

Dear _god_ I sometimes just outright hate my university

It didn't help that in Brazil we just had our infamous Carnival, and I more or less ran away to the interior to a camp with the youth of my church. Unfortunately, I couldn't take my notebook with me, so I could "enjoy" the camp; I actually did, so at least there's that

It still annoys me that this should be up on the twenty-sixth, instead is going to be the first update of March

Anyway, on to our typical reviews and canon differences

To the reviewers _**arapyanime** _ and **_Bobboky_** , thank you for the review, and to **_sudhush_** , yeah, Little Garden was solved quite easily. Logia's are bullshit when used by someone who knows how to do so; also, thank you for the continuous reviews!

And on to canon differences, the only noteworthy one is that the ones who stay in the Merry, and the ones who go climb the Drum Rockies are completely different; Zoro still manages to miss an anchored ship, though

Also, Mister Five has some expanded backstory. Nothing much is revealed about him, other than his dream of being a firefighter, so I could give a little of the spotlight to him. Expect similar experiments with Valentine and Grace

And~ that's it. Chopper is introduced, and soon he'll be able to beat the crap of the ghosts of his past, join the crew, and, hopefully, all that this month

Peace!


	13. Chapter 12 - Victory in Drum Castle

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 11 - Victory in Drum Castle

* * *

"Captain~!"

…

"Captain~! Stop~!"

A small blur of brown with a pink top, then one fair-skinned with red clothes, and right behind one mixing dark and white

"Please captain~! Don't eat the witch~!" - Elijah called out, Luffy ignoring him completely, his eyes focused on the strangely screaming meat in front of him

Then a heeled boot appeared in front of Luffy, his head separating from his shoulders from the kick and leaving a stunned Elijah to shriek as the flying head of his captain fell on his hands

That was how Elijah and Luffy met the _actual_ witch of Drum Kingdom, an elderly woman of only one hundred and thirty-nine years of age, and still going strong, dressed in a pink midriff baring shirt and low-ridding purple pants with yellow lines on both sides, named Kureha

Needless to say, she was quite displeased with the crew for moving so soon after being threated, and even more that they were hunting down her assistant, even if only one of them was truly malicious about it

And even then, malicious might be a stretch, as Luffy's stomach growled loudly

"Hey~, miss witch, is there any meat here?" - Asked the teen, receiving a snort from the woman as Elijah sighed behind him, having put his head back in place

"Go back to your rooms, you both. Chopper will take a plate for you lot" - Right after, she glared: - "And what are you waiting for? Now!" - She spoke, completely ignoring Luffy's whine for meat, poking him with her heeled boots before he realized that his meal would come for him, if and only if he were in the right place

Kureha blinked, as the teen virtually disappeared, Elijah not even fazed and turning back the way he came from. Just on the edge of his hearing, as he turned a corner, he heard the witch chuckling: - "Heh, how lively. He's the one, I bet"

The dark-skinned man didn't know what she meant, and was too tired and cold to think about it; all he had was a white tank top, and all he wished was to dive back into the warm covers of his bed

* * *

Naturally, he was completely unable to fall asleep

The words of the witch Kureha repeated themselves on his mind, the man unable to find out what it was or deduce a reason for the comment

At least he didn't miss the soup brought by Chopper, full name Tony Tony Chopper, an adorable reindeer person, as he angrily stated after Luffy called him a tanuki, the teen soon asking: - "So, how does that work?"

"Devil Fruit" - Was the clipped answer, the boy soon attending the waking Valentine, who stared in wonder at him

"So~, fluffy~!" - Elijah snorted and turned away, not daring to risk her wrath at being caught acting so girly, but Luffy, naturally, didn't care. In fact, a hand passed on Chopper's head that did not come from the blonde: - "Hmhum, really fluffy. Say, Chopper, want to join my crew"

"Of course" - Muttered the bomb man, Chopper's chin striking the floor, the boy so surprised he stopped his struggles, being caught in Valentine's vice-grip

The reindeer himself could only stare in shock, but soon recovered: - "Eh!? D-do you have any idea of what I am!?"

"None whatsoever" - Admitted Luffy: - "But you seem like a good guy! Besides, we need a good doctor on my ship to treat Gin; we'd like to stay here for as long as he need, but we're on a time limit"

Chopper blinked: - "Your ship? Are you… are you pirates?"

"Shishishishi, yup! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" - Laughed Luffy

And the reindeer stare changed from shock, to surprise and confusion, to awe: - "So cool~!" - He said, ignoring Valentine's snort of amusement, the blonde releasing the boy and allowing him to sit on her bed

His face soon turned contrite, however: - "But… I can't… I mean, I'm not exactly human and…"

"Psh, so? No one here is human, except maybe Gin, and only technically" - Explained the teen, turning one of his arms into red: - "I'm Luffy, captain of the 'Straw Hat' pirates, and a candy man, thanks to a Devil Fruit too; and both Val and Eli have Devil Fruits too"

Chopper fidgeted in place, thoughts warring in his head. On one hoof, he really, really wanted to go with the pirates; it'd be half of his dream come true, the second being finding the cure of all diseases while travelling the world. On the other, it _was_ an intimidating prospect, being both an outlaw and having to explain to Doctorine he'd be saying goodbye

His loyalty to Doctorine won out, in the end: - "Aw, don't make that face. You're thinking of saying no, right?"

Both cute boys pouted, the smaller one nodding despondently: - "I- I have a debt to Doctorine. She took me in when no one else would and- and taught me everything and-"

"Meh, don't worry. We'll find a way to convince you soon, shishishishi" - And Chopper could only stare, his mouth moving but no word coming out, fascinated with the certainty of the statement and feeling his heart flutter. They wanted him! They actually wanted him to be their crewmember!

If not for the fact he had already refused, he'd have done one of his silly dances, not that he admitted he danced nor that they were silly

The apparent contradiction was also completely ignored

"Now, now, what is that of you? First trying to eat my reindeer, now trying to kidnap him?" - Suddenly, the witch herself appeared, drawing a squeak of 'Doctorine!' from Chopper, but Kureha only snorted and went on her way, calling: - "Chopper! Do remember to check the medicine of the kestia patient!"

"R-right, Doctorine!" - And so, the child moved to take care of Gin

* * *

A few minutes later, Luffy, Elijah and Valentine were making plans. They needed to inform the crew that Gin would need ten days to fully heal, and the captain had to convince Nami to part with, at minimum, three quarters of her treasure to pay for the treatment, according to Kureha

They doubted she, Kureha, truly needed all that money, but she seemed as greedy as their tangerine-haired navigator, so the crew decided not to argue and risk raising her prices

And, even if it _was_ expensive, it _was_ to treat a super rare disease that only appeared in Little Garden, as far as they knew; the price was one Luffy was more than willing to pay. If _Nami_ was…

Then a visibly intimidated Chopper appeared with Gin, 'the Ogre' staying only for a moment to mention: - "Chopper smelt Wapol; he's climbing the mountain"

"That fatass can climb the _mountain_?" - Questioned Mister Five, baffled, Luffy frowning and standing up: - "Let's make him need to climb it again, crew"

He didn't forget he bit the Merry, nor that he ordered his mates executed for having more important things to do than deal with his tantrums; he reminded Luffy of Goa's nobility, arrogant and ignorant of the real world, living in their gilded towers and ivory cages

And so, after the crew found their coats and assorted winter clothing, they found themselves on the gate of the castle, to the raised eyebrow of the witch doctor and her reindeer: - "Yes?"

"Wapol hurt our ship. We're gonna hurt him back" - Stated Luffy, an eyebrow raised in turn, a silent challenge

One that Kureha took without hesitating: - "Blondie is in no condition to fight until I say otherwise"

Shrugging her shoulders, Valentine glibly declared: - "Okay for me, I'll just wait in one of the windows for an opportunity to dive bomb an idiot. Try to solve this outside, boys!" - Drawing laughter from the witch, who in turn also declared: - "Don't whine to me when you get hurt, blondie! Ka ka ka ka!"

And so, the white hippo of Wapol, being ridden by the man himself and his two bootlickers, surged from the side of the mountain, the man happily crying out: - "Wah! Drum Castle! How good it is to be back- eh?" - And displaying his lack of attention to his surroundings again, he finally realized three things

One, the door to his old castle was open, which meant it was filled with snow, which he'd have to order to be cleaned, to his annoyance, as he didn't like to deal with peasants. Two, there was… one, two, four, five people and a reindeer in front of the open gate, including the damned witch doctor, Kureha

Three, and most important, was that Drum Kingdom's flag was missing, instead a Jolly Roger with cherry blossoms was in its place, on top of his castle

"Kureha! You damned witch, where is the flag of my castle!?" - He bellowed

"That old, ugly thing? Ka ka ka!" - Laughed the dame: - "I burned it! This castle is now the grave of doctor Hiluluk, Wapol! Now, be gone! Goodbye!"

More quietly, she whispered, as she turned her back to the king in a show of disrespect: - "Boys, don't disappoint me now; a lady should not need to fight"

Cracking his knuckles, Luffy spoke, as Gin spun his recently repaired tonfas and Elijah cracked his knuckles: - "Yosh! Sure thing, lady!"

"You think you can order me around, don't you!? Well, you borons, I say, this castle is mine! And only my flag can fly on it!" - And so, he ordered: - "Chess, what did I eat this morning?"

The jester, that the 'Straw Hats' recognized as the look-out of the submarine that attacked them, pulled a clipboard and said: - "Gladly sir; you ate two salted cannons and a side portion of cannonballs, and upon entering the village, you ate two well-cooked and one raw house, alongside a few snack trees and a climbing bear"

"Just what the hell are you!?" - Asked, baffled, Gin, stopping his motion to stare in confusion

"Maaaaaaahahaha! I ate the Munch Munch Fruit, which makes me a munching human! Now, behold! _**Munch Munch Factory**_!" - And then, Wapol… _twisted_

"Gross" - Muttered Luffy, seeing the man stretch and grow in size, until he was shaped like a house, with cannons for arms

"Now, behold! As I shoot down that ugly flag!" - And he tried, he really did. But Luffy was faster

First Chopper gasped and growled in anger, then he gaped, as Luffy appeared _on top of the castle_ , holding the flag to stop it from flying away and stabbing it back in place: - "You! Do you have any idea of what this flag means!?" - Luffy himself didn't, it was just a pirate flag

But just a pirate flag meant the dreams and hopes of someone, and he'd never allow that to be trampled

"Who cares? It's just a pirate flag!" - Wapol, however, didn't believe in that: - "I'll just shoot it down a-"

"Shut up!" - Which, naturally, pissed off the captain: - "You dare fly under a pirate flag without knowing its meaning!? You dare attack a pirate flag while having no purpose yourself!?"

"Elijah, Gin! Stop the bookends from getting on the way! Wapol is mine!"

"Eh!? But you're still sick!" - Chopper raised the question, looking worried at Gin, Kureha grabbing him by one of his antlers and pulling him close

"Strong men heal fast. You believe he's on the first day of his sickness, right? Well, he's on his _third_ , and will probably be fully healed in two more" - She explained as she released him, drawing a baffled 'eh!?' from her reindeer: - "Just watch, Chopper, the power of a true pirate"

And he watched. He watched as Gin, feeling better than he had since his fever started, deftly evade the arrows fired at him and ploughing through the Chess, the archer, slamming into him with his tonfas and burying him with a single blow into the snow

He watched Elijah, also evading the thrown balls from Kuromarimo, the second man, with an afro and an orange outfit, before ducking under a 'Marimo Surprise' and simply delivering a light blow with his knee, Chopper's eyes widening as said knee _exploded_ and launched Elijah's opponent flying out of the mountain

"C-Chess! K-Kuromarimo!" - And it was only the start of the ex-king's misfortune: - "Wapol~!" - "Gah~!"

" _ **Candy Candy Pistol**_!" - The man didn't even move in his own defence, too shocked with the swift defeat of his advisors, and was punched right on his big fat face, launched backwards and only not falling from the mountain because of his hippo thing, which _did_ fly away down below. That was in spite of the king being as big and as heavy as a house, a pair of cannons and who knew how much munitions

"Y-you~… bah~!" - With the… warcry, Wapol charged, firing a cannonball forward to force his opponent to move out of his way; Luffy ignored it completely, punching it in mid-air and making it detonate, before delivering another punch with his other hand, Wapol having charged through the smokescreen believing his opponent out of the way or incapacitated somewhat

Instead the king only received a blow on the door of his strange form, followed up by another, again, on his face. What followed was a complete beating, as Luffy ping-ponged Wapol, punches and a few kicks bouncing the fat king around

An explosion of snow and fire distracted Luffy long enough for the king to bellow again, charging straight to his castle, Wapol having fired straight down to run away, laughing all the while: - "Mahaha! Y-you're strong, I'll admit, but once I enter the armoury of Drum, and eat all its weapons, I'll become invincible! Mahahagh~!"

Of course, Valentine had something to say, jumping straight down and slamming on him at a still lovely and svelte ten thousand kilograms, her heel kick actually missing but sending him flying forward

"Hey, captain, can I deal with him? Pretty please~?" - She asked, spinning her now open umbrella gently

"Hm? Well, I suppose if you want to feel like you're earning your place… you know you don't need to, right?"

Valentine chuckled softly and answered, even as she kicked away an attempt of attack from the king. The kick, weighting also ten thousand kilograms, struck the lower jaw of the wide-open mouth of Wapol, and sent him flying back, Kureha and Chopper duly moving aside to let him pass: - "Oh, I know, captain~"

Grinning maliciously, she declared: - "But I _love_ ~ a good fight, and since you denied me one against you in Little Garden, I'll take this one _right now_ " - And she charged, reducing her weight to glide over the snow

Wapol himself had recovered from the kick, in spite of the tremendous pain he felt on his entire body, and was hastily trying to unlock the door of his armoury. He accelerated in his attempts, sweating as a sickly sweet and venomous voice called his name, but couldn't, as the lock, exposed to the elements, had frozen solid

Then a kick connected to his back, and all his efforts proved unnecessary, as he flew straight through the doors

Valentine herself, while a little dizzy, was grinning like a maniac. She always loved to get herself in a good fight, even if normally duty forced her to simply 'snipe' her targets like a distressingly precise meteor, but now? Now she could go all out; Valentine could actually _fight_ , rather than kill

She was looking forward for it, especially as Wapol was now inside his vaulted arsenal: - "Come now, Wapol~; you're in your arsenal now~!"

No answer. Entering the room properly, she saw the king, staring blankly with a rather weird smile on his face, with wide eyes, at his mostly empty arsenal, only possessing some cannons and one or two guns, rather than the veritable arsenal he boasted about: - "I- we-"

"W-we t-took the guns with us. T-they're on the ship"

"Kyahahaha! Seriously!?" - Naturally, Valentine laughed; clutching her stomach and trying to not fall on the ground: - "How can someone be so dumb! Kyahaha~!"

"Now~… bye bye, baby!" - One advantage of her fruit was that she had the proportional strength implied by her weight. So, if she was moving one thousand kilograms, she had the force behind the movement to successfully move one thousand kilograms

Thus, her next kick, aimed at a cannon, actually lifted the object, the weapon flying at Wapol who took it on his forehead, waking him from his stupor: - "I-I still have the cannons!"

Another cannon interrupted him, the siege equipment soon was chomped on, caught in mid-air and gulped down, Wapol coughing, having not munched on it. Valentine, realizing that maybe giving him more weapons might not be a good idea, decided to kick him instead

The door on Wapol's stomach opened, and a cannon poked from it, firing and striking Valentine, drawing a scream: - "M-my clothes! Kya~!"

The woman, still weighing roughly ten times more than normal, easily resisted the impact; her clothes, however, were still clothes, and so she now had a massive hole on her coat and dress, both torn by the blast and exposing her belly

Glaring, she hissed: - " _You're dead~_ " - And the next cannonball, fired by Wapol as he laughed, flew over below her

Ignoring Luffy question from outside, Val jumped over the shot, using the explosion to fly high, before calling out: - " _ **Ten Thousand Kilo Press**_!"

Slamming down, Wapol didn't evade this time, actively lifting his arms, trying to shoot her out of the skies and missing, the blonde falling too fast to hit and instead delivering a double kick on his big head

"Now be gone! _**Ten Thousand Kilo Flick**_!" - And demonstrating great agility, she spun in place, a backflipping kick that flicked Wapol into the wall: - "I said, be gone!" - Not stopping, she jumped and delivered a flying kick, still weighing roughly ten thousand pounds and sending Wapol through the stone wall that previously stopped him

* * *

Luffy felt a sweat drop from his head. And that's all without knowing to properly fight, apparently: - "She's been raring to go for a while, hadn't she"

"She's quite a sadist, yes. Hard to believe her dream is to be a simple chocolatier" - Agreed Elijah

The smokescreen raised by her knocking Wapol through the wall faded, the blonde frowning and all three males looking away, to not stare at her exposed skin, drawing a snort from Valentine. How cute

"Anyone saw where Wapol went?"

His nose twitching, the reindeer Chopper finally averted his gaze from the destruction the supposedly concussed woman inflicted: - "Eh, he went straight up! He's still-" - "Shut up!"

Wapol hastily closed his mouth and hugged the wall. Unfortunately, he was still in his house-like form, and thus easily visible, somehow in the highest floor of the castle and trying to fit into a door

"There you are~! Mister Five, I need a lift!" - "Everyone stand back!" - And they did, Luffy jumping into another floor, Gin jumping outside, and Chopper, transforming into a musclebound and somewhat furry form, grabbed Kureha and followed 'the Ogre'

Elijah then exploded, sending Valentine to the rooftops of the castle, and drawing a squawk from Wapol as the blonde was suddenly above him, kicking out from the top of the castle to divebomb the ex-king: - " _ **Ten Thousand Kilo Press**_!" - The floor caved in, the way giving up from the impact of one ten thousand pounds weighing lass

"Gah~!" - Unfortunately, Wapol already entered the door he wanted, through the knockers showed that in his rush he broke through it. Jumping high with reduced weight, Val soon saw her opponent and blinked; he had somehow turned into a… bucket?

"What?" - "Ahah! Now, behold, _**Slim-up Wapol**_!" - And then he _twisted_ , again, having apparently eaten himself and turned himself into a slimmer version of himself: - "… What" - Instead of fighting, however, he ran away

"What. Wait! Come back here, you coward!" - Valentine gave chase, passing through the corridor, and getting an unpleasant surprise on the way. Do remember Wapol ate three cannons, and even if he hadn't them for arms, that didn't mean he lost them

" _ **Tongue Cannon**_!" - Turning his tongue into one of said cannons, he fired it at the blonde, who slid on her knees, bending enough her head rubbed on the floor and making her lose her hat, the cannonball flying over her: - "Maha, ha~?"

Realizing he missed, he gulped loudly, and ran again as she stopped to recover her hat, the blonde again pursuing him: - "I'm starting to get annoyed!"

Then the blonde realized why he was running away, her instincts alerting her of a trap, and desiring to end this, simply stepped on it; she entered the last room he entered, which, from the windows and the roof, she deduced to be on the top of a tower, where a massive cannon with seven openings on its barrels rested

"Maaaaahaha! Behold, the ultimate weapon of Drum Kingdom! The Royal Drum Crown Seven-Shot Tin Tyrant Cannon!" - He laughed proudly, imagining himself now undefeatable, as all he had to do was fire it

Pressing the trigger mechanism, Wapol stared as blankly as when he had seen his almost empty arsenal, as the cannon failed to fire; he again moved the mechanism, and a snow-white bird revealed itself from one of the barrels

The bird cried out in annoyance at the king, as the firing mechanism was chewing on her nest while attempting to fire. Not that Wapol cared; the important thing, from his point of view, was that his devastatingly lethal cannon was non-operational

"I'll have you executed!" - He cried out, pointing one fat finger at the bird, and gulped, as Valentine suddenly appeared in front of him, one hand on her umbrella, the other in a vice-grip that crushed Wapol's windpipe: - "Now, what do we have here~"

Wapol struggled, but it was no use; it was impossible for the man to break a ten thousand kilograms' grip on his neck: - "A cowardly, cad of a king, a _pirate_ and bandit of the high seas, and most importantly, an _enemy_ "

"You're lucky, you know that? The 'Straw Hats' bring the best of you into the world, otherwise, I'd drop you from this tower and jump right behind to crush your skull" - She spoke, smiling brightly, as if she wasn't just threatening him with death: - "Instead, I'll _just_ send you away"

" _ **Ten Thousand Kilo Flick**_!"

* * *

A rumble was heard, and Chopper, joined by Elijah, looked up, Kureha long back inside to protect herself from the cold. Out of a window, the shape of Wapol flew by, falling further away than even Kuromarimo, flying down the mountain. Gin, who was busy pushing Chess down, snorted, and deciding to make it a competition, slammed his tonfas with as much strength as he could

He still didn't quite managed to get her reach, in spite of being on the edge of the mountain and Valentine closer to the centre, which send a frightening thought on his head. He'd might lose his position as one of the strongest of the crew

Then again, they could just add another member to said position

This time, there was no celebration for the victory. Or rather, there was, but it was very subdued, much to Luffy's confusion, who never realized that a commemoration could be solemn and cosy, rather than a happy party

Still, Wapol was now arrested and locked with Seastone shackles, since he fell, luckily enough, right in front of a recovering Dalton, as the man and an army of peasants prepared to march against Drum Castle, Usopp, Zoro, Igaram and Vivi travelling with them

Kureha insisted rather… _violently_ , on a complete check-up on both Dalton, who had been impaled thrice, and on Valentine, who admitted to have felt a little dizzy during the conflict, the witch rather annoyed with the blonde for actually fighting, and with Luffy for letting her. Still, no actual medical treatment was needed for the blonde, so she did not further raise her price

And Chopper, stared in wonder at the hyperactive captain, and his more tranquil crew, with exception of the long-nosed individual, who seemed as vivacious as Luffy and wanted a legitimate party to start, to the combined amusement and annoyance of everyone else. He had a debt to Doctorine, true, but he also had a debt to Luffy's crew now, for saving doctor Hiluluk's flag and kicking Wapol's fatness away

The cannons were arrayed outside, and the news already were spreading through the kingdom, when the reindeer boy gained enough courage to talk with Kureha: - "Doctorine?"

The witch was drinking from one of her bottles of plum wine, and looked at Chopper with a fondness he rarely saw, normally aimed at a patient who truly thanked her: - "Go"

"Eh!?" - "Oh, my little apprentice, so grown, already wanting to see the world" - "D-Doctorine!?"

"Ka ka ka ka! Did you forget I knew of your little pep talk with that monkey!?… I'll never forgive you Chopper, for abandoning me… but I recognize that your place isn't here"

"The world is a large place, and I don't know everything; go, Chopper, explore the brave new world we live, and create the panacea you and your father always dreamed about!"

"D-Doctorine… Doctorine, thank you!" - And the little boy hugged his mother in all but name, bawling, for once Kureha not minding the wet feeling. Let the boy cry; he was saying goodbye, after all

Of course, she wasn't going to tell him to never mention what just happened. She'd just make him forget about it by scaring the crap out of him

She had a reputation to maintain, after all!

* * *

Not even the solemnity of the liberation of Drum Kingdom, now nameless, could stop Luffy from celebrating having gained a new crewmember

Chopper was prodded a little by Usopp, who was really curious about what the reindeer boy was, and the dark-skinned teen found it fascinating, the idea of a Devil Fruit being eaten by an animal never once crossing his mind, thus being rather impressed with Tony Tony Chopper, born a reindeer with a blue nose, who ate the Human Human Fruit and thus making him a reindeer human rather than a human reindeer

And so, while a drink was shared between the members of the crew, Chopper, refusing the alcohol out of his responsibility as a doctor and the fact he was underage, soon went inside to grab the tools of his trade, and say a last goodbye to Doctorine

Instead, he found himself screaming his little head off, as said Doctorine chased him while throwing every form of weapon and armour and whatever else she could put her hands on

Grabbing Doctorine's sled, he hastily linked it to himself, and ran, shouting as soon as he caught sight of the crew: - "Jump inside~! Fast~!"

And Luffy, without even asking, soon pushed all of them into the sled, drawing squawks and squeaks of surprise, Gin's more because he was able to push _everyone_ into the sled, and Chopper's because, even with Valentine weighting only one kilogram, seven normal people was still quite heavy

Soon the crew found themselves ridding down a thick white rope, the crew realizing how doctor Kureha gained her reputation of a witch. The reindeer drawn sled would appear to fly through the air, the rope Chopper rode being practically invisible in the snow

Cannon fire ensued, as the crew finally found themselves back on the crew, Nami cooing at the cute little reindeer boy that was apparently the crew's new doctor, said doctor watching in wonder at the backpack Elijah pulled from deep within the sled, containing the equipment he wanted to pick and was unable because of Doctorine's… _violent_ reaction

And then, light from the castle. The ones present had seen, the cannons and holophotes being positioned outside the castle, but now they were seeing them perform their function

And Chopper _wept_ , as his father's hard work, his dream of making cherry blossoms bloom in the winter island of Drum, _flourished_

The hard work of Hiluluk, his panacea to heal a nation's heart, was a powder that would bond with snow, painting it pink. And now, years after his death, and after production hidden from Chopper's eyes, Kureha said her real good bye, firing the powder, and turning the Drum Rockies into giant cherry blossom trees

And from within the tallest of said trees, only Dalton, and only barely, as he thought of that incredible princess that only now he recognized, heard the mutters of Kureha: - "Good bye, my reckless son…"

* * *

AN: And yay! Two chapters in a month!

I'm particularly happy with this one. Oh sure, Luffy didn't get his oportunity to kick ass, but I was able to give the _other_ crewmembers said chance; the end result was the Valentine vs Wapol fight, as what Gin and Elijah passed though does not count

To the reviewes _**Bobboky**_ and _**sudhush**_ , thank you for the loyalty, and for dealing with my slow updates; next one will be the entrance to Alabasta, and Elijah's oportunity to shine, and here's a hint: they do meet Ace, but a little later than in canon

Of canon differences, not many; the most important was that the main fight had different participants, and that Wapol will have a _very_ hard time making his Evil Drum Kingdom like in canon; in fact, he'd be lucky to not get executed, considering now there's undeniable proof in the hands of Alabasta that he was a pirate, even if for only a few months

And I added a little fluffy scene, between Kureha and Chopper, a warm goodbye between the two that I felt wouldn't add much, since Doctorine still would say her more _vicious_ goodbye, if only to ensure said warm goodbye stayed firmly between only the two

Oh yes! And Wapol's arsenal. I mean, sure, the king could have left it behind, but it seemed like the type of thing Wapol wouldn't forget about while escaping; he'd need to arm his crew, so why leave behind the massive arsenal Drum Kingdom supposedly have? Bad enough to forget his massive seven-shooter...

Nothing more to add, I believe; this chapter was ready on _Monday,_ so I'm really excited to finally publish it, and I hope you all like it!

Peace!


	14. Chapter 13 - The Kingdom of Sands

One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

* * *

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

* * *

Chapter 12 - The Kingdom of Sands, Alabasta

* * *

Chopper found himself fitting in the, quite accurately named, 'Chibi Trio', which consisted of him, Usopp, and Luffy. And lots of silliness, commonly ranging between rather stupid games from fishing, with poor Carue as bait

Vivi was not pleased with that

And, amusingly enough, the other child of the crew was more often than not facepalming alongside the non-insane members at their antics

The 'Straw Hats' also found themselves with two other trios, because a sextet didn't sound right in common conversation. One was the 'Fiend Trio', consisting of the murderous Gin, the living artillery Elijah, and the equally living artillery shell Valentine, and they were the ones actively malicious of the crew, responsible for the doing the dark deeds the crew might need done

The other was the 'Monster Trio', named such for their monstrous strength, consisting of the captain Luffy, the first mate Zoro, and somewhat surprisingly, the cook Sanji. They were the ones responsible for actual combat; the ones who searched for the strongest fighters on the enemy crew and fought them

It made Elijah and Valentine breathe a sigh of relief, to not be the ones on the frontlines against their old organization, since they _were_ the weakest of the top five members

All that wasn't anything formal. It was just how things fell into place, between the spars against Zoro that only Sanji and Luffy could keep up with, to the planning sessions with intel from Eli and Val and the dark suggestions of Gin, to the many jests that Usopp and Luffy attempted to teach the rather sheltered reindeer boy

Then, one particular day: - "Smoke! Smoke in front of the ship!" - Called out Grace, lazing around on the crow nest with the spyglass, spying the massive pillar in front of them

Nami, naturally, instantly recognized the natural phenomenon: - "That's an underwater volcano!"

"Underwater volcano?" - And Chopper didn't, the ginger explaining: - "Indeed. Most volcanos are actually deep beneath the ocean; but for this one to create such a thing it must be rather close to the surface. In a few thousand years, another island might even form here"

"So cool~!" - And Chopper, as expected, was highly impressed

Meanwhile: - "Has anyone seen Carue!?" - Vivi searched for her duck. She had a suspicion, but she had already, ahem, _taught_ the fishers to not repeat their performance, and Chopper clearly heard the princess' request

She didn't receive an answer, instead the crew as one retching as they entered the cloud of sulphur created by the volcano, the temperature rising and the smell of rotten eggs permeating the ship

"Can anyone see the way!?" - Called out Luffy, on the railings

"J-just~… Gin! A light curve to starboard!" - Answered Nami: - "We just need to follow the Log Pose, Luffy!"

"Yosh… I think I got something!"

And as they exited the volcanic mist, the crew, reunited where Luffy was, saw him and Usopp, both having caught the same thing with their fishing rods, using Carue as bait, a… person, wrapped around it

"Thank you! For rescuing me~!" - The man, with make-up heavily smeared on his face, was wearing a flamboyant pink coat over a blue shirt and puffy stripped blue shorts, with hairy legs exposed and two stuffed swans on his back, didn't introduce himself, but, notably, both Grace, Valentine and Elijah were gone as soon as he dropped from the duck and set foot on the Merry

Nor was Igaram nor Sanji present, both men in the kitchen, and Vivi, technically present but standing in front of the kitchen and above the others, confused as for why the ex-members of the Baroque Works had escaped inside with such a hurry

The man instantly conquered the 'Chibi Trio' with his power, the power of the Clone Clone Fruit, allowing the eater to turn into somebody else; he demonstrated that by first slapping Luffy and, before the others could beat the crap out of him, revealed his transformed face with a shout of: - "Stop~ joking around~! Ha~hahahaha!"

With his powers, as he demonstrated by touching Usopp, Chopper, Nami, and, thanks to the sheer surprise, Zoro, worked by touching his face with one hand to change into another person, and change back to normal with the other, the transformation completely changing his body and voice, as they found out when he opened his shirt while transformed as Nami

The ginger expressed her displeasure by smashing his skull inwards, yet, miraculously, as it is often with humorous wounds, he barely felt it, only meekly apologizing before being swept into a ridiculous song and dance number with the 'Chibi Trio'

Then, came a ship owned by him, the fact quickly deduced by both the man identifying it as such, and by the fact it was as flamboyant as him, a slightly larger caravel with a swan figurehead

"Oh~! My lovelies, so good to see you again~! And thank you, my newest lovelies, for saving me!" - And as he sailed away, the crew saying their goodbyes and Zoro wondering how exactly the man got on Carue in the first place, they heard: - "Now, my lovelies, to Alabasta!" - "Yes, Mister Two Bon Kurei!"

"That was the Mister Two!?" - As one, the crew asked, except Luffy and Usopp; they were being punished by a horrified but nevertheless _peeved_ Vivi, the blue-haired lass slamming their heads together for once again using Carue as fish bait

"Yes" - Intervened Elijah, Valentine continuing: - "Didn't we mention that?"

Luffy, on the ground, admitted: - "I rarely pay attention; knowing about the adventure makes it boring"

Vivi grounded his head with her heels, as she muttered: - "I-I heard about him; he's a proud crossdresser, and wears pink, and has two swans on his back, and-"

"And you didn't recognize him?" - Asked Zoro, somewhat annoyed and confused

"More importantly" - Vivi, however, completely ignored him, focusing on something more important: - "He had my father's face"

A beat ensued

"What!?" - "One of the faces… one of the faces he showed, when entertaining Luffy and… it was my father's" - That raised the stakes highly for the crew. Somebody with the ability to transform into the king of a nation was already troublesome enough, but that person being an active enemy of the kingdom?

With a gasp, Valentine realized: - "And he got your faces!?" - And the gravity of the situation doubled

"We need something to deal with that. A password or the like" - Grace said, munching on a biscuit

Zoro was the one to raise his hand at that: - "Might've an idea"

* * *

"You know, it was a good thing that we met Mister Two so soon" - Mused Luffy, Nami and Zoro the ones to raise their eyebrow and turn to face him: - "It meant we could devise a counter"

Blinking in surprise, both first mate and navigator had to agree with their captain's statement, much to their own surprise

The crew, after some sneaking around, found themselves reunited in front of their ship in the city of Nanohana. Vivi had warned them about the greatest dangers of the desert, the heat and lack of liquid, and thus, they had bought proper clothes, and many barrels of water

Unfortunately, Chopper got himself lost, the warm climate boiling the poor reindeer; he had snuck into a shadow, not realizing it was a carriage heading to another city. Fortunately, later, he'd be able to return, with the help of a friendly camel

Luffy was pouting, not liking his new brown boots, dressed in a body-covering wine open coat with white drawings, his jutte hidden under it alongside his red vest and blue shorts, and with his straw hat tied by a blue piece of cloth; he was not fond of covering his feet, much preferring his sandals

Zoro was also dressed to travel in the desert, a black and white coat with an orange headdress tied by a thin golden chain and black pants, still wearing his green haramaki, black shoes and black bandana tied to his left biceps, alongside his three swords

And Nami… well, Sanji was the one responsible for buying the clothes, and with Chopper too distracted by the heat to ground the blond chef, she was now forced to wear a lovely blue halter top baring her midriff and light blue skirt with a tiny pink jacket completing it, in other words, a dancer's outfit. Strangely enough, she kept her heels, in spite of the heated sand

Nami found it amusing, Vivi was embarrassed by her slightly darker one, and Valentine had to be held back by Elijah and Gin to not punt the cook out of the ship, though she still wore her yellow-green one. Grace received a very fancy dark green and golden gown, with a white and dark green coat to cover her body, her hat still present, which was fortunate, as it stopped rather awkward questions about Sanji's taste

As the tangerine-haired girl bought three colourful coats, to protect the ladies from the scorching sun, Zoro and Luffy called out for Chopper, asking if anyone had seen a brown-skinned boy with a big pink hat with reindeer antlers tied to it, as few would understand the idea of a reindeer human

Then, an explosion of fire and smoke from a restaurant, a stream of punches and blows from a jutte that Luffy recognized, Smoker and a man on fire exiting the building and fighting violently outside, launching blasts of fire and trying to touch the other with the Seastone tipped weapon

"Ace!" - The only man Luffy knew, thanks to the newspapers that reached Goa, that could actually be on fire and not mind, was his older brother, helped by the freckled man calling his signature attack, the 'Fire Fist', a massive gout of flames that engulfed almost the entire street and pushed Smoker to one end of it

The 'Straw Hat' quite remembered reading Ace being called that in a newspaper, roughly a year after his brother's journey started. Now, however, he faced quite a conundrum; on one hand, his brother was facing Smoker, the marine that almost defeated Luffy in Loguetown, why he was here being a question for another time, on the other, Ace was far stronger than Luffy, and the boy's intervention would probably just make the fight messier than needed

"Let's get the hell out of here!" - Finally, he decided, and the first three members of the 'Straw Hat' crew moved away, to the edge of the city, Nami guiding the two broken compasses, rather exasperatedly. They weren't that _bad_ before, what has happened with them!? Did the Grand Line screw with their sense of direction?

"Now we take a left, Zoro, and there! You can even see the Merry from here" - "I know! I'm not blind!"

"You both were heading to the wrong side, towards the _desert_ " - She was having none of it, but fortunately, Chopper came to their rescue

"Guys! Luffy, Zoro, Nami!" - He had a white shirt under a lavender jacket, khaki shorts, his top hat ever present, and was waddling towards the crew with a sheen of sweet visible through his fur, which probably wasn't quite healthy, Zoro being volunteered to carry the reindeer

Oddly enough, the green-haired man didn't mind, Chopper resting on his head like a particularly exhausted plush

And the quartet, finally, returned to the ship, where the crew was gathered and making plans. For starters, Igaram and Carue would ride to the king, to report directly to him about everything Vivi and the royal guard had found while spying on Baroque Works, the remaining 'Straw Hats' travelling with Merry to Erumalu, and from there through the desert to Yuba, where the rebels were stationed

* * *

Notable, however, were the seven galleons, each one bearing the symbol of Baroque Works, that they met as soon as they exited the port of Nanohana

"Billions" - Deduced Elijah: - "We'll need to take them out, or else" - What else didn't need to be described to the crew; even Luffy knew of Baroque Works operations, in which they'd join both sides of the conflict and commit unspeakable crimes against each other, to maintain the civil war going

"But- how? These ships are massive, they must have at least a hundred men there" - Questioned Vivi, making the dark-skinned man chuckle

"You forget I'm a bomb man, princess; all I need to do is get close enough. Is that possible, Captain!?"

"No idea" - Admitted Luffy: - "Nami! Can we weave around the ships without Elijah helping!?"

"Easily, Luffy! Merry is a nimble little caravel, she'll dance around them!" - She spoke with confidence, so Luffy ordered

"All right crew! Everyone pays attention! We'll take down the enemy, starting now!" - Then, he shouted: - "Crocodile! We're coming for you!"

And it was a thing of beauty. The Going Merry, little caravel that could, charged at the five ships, each twice as big as her, and easily dealt with them, slipping past behind the first, Elijah muttering: - "Who'd though I'd use you against our own, hm?"

And on his hands, was a massive and highly decorated revolver with golden engravings, and with the chamber open, the dark-skinned man blew a breath on it, before taking aim on the starboard side

" _ **Breeze Breath Bombs**_!" - And fired. The back of his target exploded, the explosive breath launched like a massive wind bullet, the galleon breaking apart as its rear was obliterated, taking water and sinking

The next shot was fired from the port side, and helped by a cannon shot from Igaram, an exploit achieved in a moment of respite from dealing with the ropes and sails, the twin shots shredding their target, the explosion from the struck gunpowder barrels on it sending shrapnel everywhere

The third bullet of the revolver missed, due to the sharp turn the Merry had to perform to not strike said ship, the voices of surprise and shock from the galleon heard as their main mast was destroyed, the fourth shot hitting the target with full force right below the figurehead, blasting the ship practically in half, the ocean finishing the job of splitting the ship

Ship number four had turned to face the Merry, and fired a cannonball in fact, but the shot flew high above the relatively tiny ship, Elijah calling out: - "Keep an eye on that one!" - As he fired on ship number five, his next shot hitting again the gunpowder and completely destroying the large ship

Usopp heard the fellow dark-skinned man, and pointed shortly after: - "Luffy~! Cannonball, incoming!" - And the candy man answered with a call of his own: - " _ **Candy Candy Lance**_!" - Launching his leg forward and detonating the shot mostly harmlessly over the ocean, the heat making him grunt in annoyance; by then, Elijah had already turned back to the right side of the Merry, taking aim and firing his last wind bullet, his breath washing the ship and detonating, completely destroying the deck

"Reloading!" - Called out Elijah, soon after: - "Reloaded" - As he simply blew on the cylinder of the revolver, taking aim again and retreating to the port side, where he unloaded rapidly all six shots, dealing glancing blows to the two other ships, which were further away; these glancing blows were still an explosive wind, so the ships would need repairs soon

Four ships sunk, one heavily crippled, the other two also wounded, casualties up to one hundred enemies, and no harm done to the Merry or her crew. Naturally, that called for a party, Luffy ordering the celebration, even Elijah joining the silly dance of the 'Chibi Trio', coming from the high of the success, though he hastily disengaged and went to drink with a smirking Valentine and Gin and a bemused Zoro

Soon, another reason to celebrate appeared to their captain: - "How lively; I take they are your enemies in some way or another?"

"Hmhum! They're trying to conquer the kingdom of our friend, Ace" - Answered Luffy, looking at the man sitting in the rail. Freckled, with wild black hair and black eyes, shirtless and wearing only orange shorts held by a brown belt, a curious orange hat on his head with two blue smileys on it, a dagger resting on a sheath on his hips… and unmistakably him: - "Hello, big brother"

* * *

By the time the party ended, the crew had a newfound appreciation for their captain. Oh, sure, he was still their goofy, almost dumb captain, but he was also related to 'Fire Fist' Ace, commander of the second division of the 'Whitebeard' himself, and 'Gentleman' Sabo, hero, in spite of being a pirate himself

With such a family, was it any surprise that the youngest and supposedly weaker member would still be a monster?

While Luffy would have loved the company of his brother, Ace had business of his own. A crewmate under his command killed another, and it was Ace's duty to hunt him down; 'Fire Fist' even denied describing this 'Blackbeard' individual to them, only revealing it was his crew that destroyed Drum, and that rumours of his presence where what drew him to Alabasta, rumours he discovered were false

"If you do see him Luffy, don't fight; somebody from the other half of the Grand Line is an opponent you're not ready to face yet" - Ace spoke with such seriousness that Luffy had to obey; his big brother wouldn't tell him the reason for why he shouldn't do it, but he would never lie to him, and if he told him that 'Blackbeard' was above his level, he would hear him

At this moment, Igaram and Carue finally departed, the super spot-billed duck dashing into the Sandora Desert and leaving a massive plume of sand behind. Ace in turn also departed on a one-man skiff, made to be used with his Devil Fruit powers, but not before giving Luffy what he called a Vivre Card, a small piece of square paper that Grace helpfully sewed into his hat

"Thank you, for taking care of my little brother!" - He shouted, even as he dashed away in the ocean

"Any more surprises in the family tree?" - Asked Nami, making Luffy actually look at her with clear amusement

He answered: - "My name is Monkey D. Luffy" - And left her to reach her own conclusions

The journey started with Luffy pouting, as she failed to make the connection between him and his grandfather. Mild confusion ensued, as for why he'd be pouting, and only grew, as he took his wrath on the Kung Fu Dugongs, small dugong-like creatures with sea turtle shells that inhabited the Sandora River, the animals challenging him and the pirate exploiting it to let loose a little of his annoyance on the not-crew

Soon, however, he had a good few dozens of the critters on his heels, begging to be taught by him: - "T-they believe that whoever beats them, becomes their new master…" - Explained Vivi, perhaps a tad too late

"… Okay, dugongs! Your job is to guard the ship while we're away!" - And fortunately, while they were willing to obey, after some whining and an offering of their food supplies, to the dismay of the crew, who had to part with a quarter of their food, Chopper, born an animal and able to negotiate with them reducing the price of half of their food

Luffy had added that the dugongs had free access to the Merry, as long as they didn't touch the tangerine trees of Nami or her gold and money, only touching the food. Sanji was not amused, especially as he also had to choose between watching the ladies covered by a red, a blue, and a golden cloak, or watch them risk suffering sunburns in the intense sun of the desert

Still, the chef himself was covered under a light blue cloak with a red sun on his shoulders, a white robe under that, hiding the fact he had a suit under it all, and after ensuring that exactly one quarter of their food was given, and that there was enough food to appease the critters guarding Merry, he and the crew departed into the desert

* * *

"Hey, Vivi"

"Hm? Yes, mister Luffy?" - "Say, what other creatures exist in the desert? Anything we might fight?"

Vivi looked thoughtful for a moment, before breathing out: - "Hopefully not. The only truly dangerous creature we might face are the Sandora Dragons; all others are creatures you just need to ignore and go on your way"

"Like what" - Asked the captain

"First, there's the Desert Strawberry" - Explained Vivi, pausing in her walking to draw in the sand a spider with her foot: - "They are spiders named that because they look like strawberries, but they are extremely poisonous, so eating one can easily be an instant death"

"Are there even strawberries in a desert?" - Asked Zoro, turning to their cook, who just shrugged: - "Maybe if they're special Alabastan strawberries? This _is_ the Grand Line"

Vivi giggled softly, hearing the exchange, but soon sobered up, as they passed through the ruins of Erumalu, the city once known as 'the Green City', now reduced to rubble and sand: - "But the ultimate danger that any of us might suffer is the loss of water"

"Erumalu survived thanks to a long channel, linking it to the Sandora River, but as you can see…" - Indeed, the channel had been destroyed, a part damaged as if the walls had simply fallen apart with nothing holding the bricks together, sand blocking the way: - "Coupled with the drought, and, well, you can see what Crocodile has done to the country"

The old members of Baroque Works fidgeted. Vivi looked somewhat apologetic at them, but didn't take her words back. She _was_ right, in that he and his organization were the ones responsible for the destruction of her kingdom

As the wind howled past the abandoned buildings, the sound a frightening and grievous cry coming as if from the city, the crew moved past the ruined buildings and the lost skull, buried by them so it could rest in peace, silence reigning as they wandered into the sands

"Hey, Vivi. Is there any-" - "Oh, oh yes, there is!"

"Another danger is the Warusagi Birds; they fake being dead and injured and, when those who travel close stop paying attention to them, they steal their belongings"

Holding her hand and counting to her third finger, Vivi continued: - "Another danger of the desert is the Mescal Cactus, which causes hallucinations"

And holding her fourth finger, as the crew entered into a craggy canyon and saw a bunch of said Warusagi Birds, quickly expulsed from the shade by the explosive man of the crew, Vivi called what she considered the second most dangerous danger of the place: - "And finally there's the Sandora Dragon. They're purple lizards big enough to eat a person in one bite"

Silence ensued as one appeared besides them after digging its way out of the sand, turning to lazily scratching its side on the rocks: - "Like these?"

"Yes Luffy, like… l-l-like t-these" - And as one, the crew realized that a massive man-eating giant lizard was right beside them

Luffy was not amused, nor intimidated: - "Hm. Sanji, Zoro, I'm hungry. Follow"

"I-I d-don't t-t-think w-we w-will n-need t-to w-w-worry a-about t-them" - Admitted Usopp, in spite of his trembling legs

The lizard, realising that prey was on the area, roared and turned to face the crew, then realised he was the prey, as while some cowered behind them, three of them jumping high

" _ **Candy Candy~ Axe**_!" - Heel kick: - " _ **Dragon~ Twister**_!" - Spinning slash: - " _ **Épaule~ Shoot**_!" - Another heel kick. Vivi could only stare, as the mightiest predator of Sandora Desert was outright brutalized and made into a snack

* * *

To Vivi's bemused horror, she forgot to mention that Sandora Dragons hunted in pairs. It was trounced just as easily, stunned by Elijah and bombarded by a flying Valentine, the blonde weighting ten-thousand kilograms and practically snapping the lizard in half. There they met the camel Eyelashes, named such by Nami, a 'gentlemanly' camel who only let ladies ride him that was being chased by the dragon, giving a ride to Nami, who decidedly regretted walking around the boiling sand with sandals, Grace, who was a child, and Valentine, who reduced her weight to one kilogram

Vivi rather didn't mind walking, used to the desert, so she just kept going

So, while lacking somewhat in water, they reached Yuba rather comfortably filled with meat, only to feel like they ate ashes as they discovered that the rebel army had relocated to Katorea, a city neighbour to Nanohana, which was all the way back at the start of their journey and that Chopper had acidently visited

"And if Mister Two is here, we might not have enough time. Why call back the guy who can turn into the king if not for some sort of plan?" - To make matters worse, Sanji grimly reminded them they were running out of time

"Somebody able to turn into the king!?" - Exclaimed Toto. He was an elderly, thin and frail man who nevertheless faced the repeated sandstorms that struck Yuba, keeping the oasis village alive singlehandedly, and in fact had given a small barrel of water to the crew, upon learning of their purpose; it helped that Vivi recognized him as the father of Kohza and he, in turn, her, as the princess of Alabasta and friend of his son

Luffy then asked: - "What would happen with Baroque Works if Crocodile was defeated?" - And after thinking a little, Elijah answered: - "With all the secrecy, it is very probable everything might just fall apart"

"Miss All-Sundays _might_ do something, but the organization itself… yes, it might just fall. Luffy, are you-" - "Yes"

"Change of plans, crew. If we defeat Crocodile now, we might just slow the rebellion enough that we can reach Vivi's friend" - Declared Luffy

Vivi disagreed, vehemently, and so did the other ex-members of Baroque Works: - "Y-you're going to die! C-Crocodile is a new world opponent, just like 'Blackbeard', you do-"

"Crocodile is also a sand man, right?" - Asked Luffy, grinning: - "Let me tell you a secret, Vivi; every logia Devil Fruit has a weakness that can be exploited, the problem is finding what"

"If Ace was here, for example, I bet he could've just incinerate the Croc 'till he was only glass" - The boy gave as an example, then used himself: - "And flour makes me lose my stickiness and ability to transform, allowing me to be struck"

The princess blinked in surprise at the revelation, but still shook her head: - "I-Impossible, impossible! Luffy, reconsider!-"

"Vivi" - However, the captain of the 'Straw Hats' already made his mind: - "I know you don't want us to risk our lives; we're friends, you want us safe, and all that. But you can't risk your life and expect us to sit on the side-lines"

"What our captain is saying is, let them come; we're much stronger than we look" - Grinned savagely Zoro

"You should've know by now, we'd do anything for a friend, Vivi" - Smiled softly Nami, hugging the bluenette: - " _Please_ , let us help"

"They saved my home, they saved Nami's, they saved Sanji's and Chopper's; see the pattern?" - Asked Usopp with a confident grin

"We'll protect you with our lives, princess!" - Declared Sanji

Gin offered a 'thumbs up': - "Count me in"

"We grew fond of you" - Shrugged Elijah, Valentine laughing: - "Besides, this has been the most fun we had in _years_!"

Grace smiled as she admitted: - "You're a good friend, princess; we want to help"

And Chopper, sitting beside Grace, stated: - "What is the purpose of a being a friend but to help?"

Moved to tears, Vivi could only sob, even as they descended into a massive hug pile, Toto watching amused from the side, almost forgotten. A stretchy candy arm dragged him into the group, to his chuckles

Fortunately, for everyone involved, Rainbase, the city where Crocodile was stationed, was a day of journey straight north of there, two full days faster than returning to Nanohana and going to Katorea. It'd make things rather awkward otherwise

"Ready?" - "As I'll ever be" - Asked Luffy, Vivi answering

"Not at all" - The ex-Baroque Works members, however, where rather scared of facing their own old boss. They were summarily ignored

"Good, because I've been dying of thirst" - Admitted Luffy, Usopp roaring: - "Then why not drink the water given to us!?"

Luffy's answer was enough to only reduce Usopp to grumbling mutinously: - "That water is special, Usopp"

Fortunately, for everyone, as the dark-skinned teen climbed a dune, he had the honour of being the first of the crew to see it; Rainbase

* * *

AN: Woo, that was a doozy. Lack of inspiration struck, so that ending's writing slowed down to a crawl, and next chapter wasn't even started yet. Hopefully I'll have something still, though

Thank you, _**bobboky**_ , for the review, the sole one from the previous chapter

And on to differences from canon? Ace's meeting was delayed, since Luffy was smart enough to not get himself separated from the crew in search of food, thus he didn't get himself chased by Smoker, which meant that the marine did end engaging Ace, and all together resulting in considerable damage to little Nanohana

It also meant that Elijah had to show off a little more, drawing his revolver to sink the Baroque Works, since Ace was delayed somewhat by Smoker

Other than that, once again Luffy intelligence's shine though, ensuring all resources they prepared for the journey, while reduced somewhat thanks to the Kung Fu Dugongs, weren't taken by the Warusagi Birds. They actually could leave some food for poor Toto

That is all, thank you for your time reading, and please, review! It is what tells me if whatever I'm doing is right

And with that, peace!


End file.
